2020 Côte-Rôtie, Lieu-Dit Bonnivières, Yves Cuilleron, Rhône

100% Syrah. Cask sample.

Tight but elegant with dark fruit and cassis notes. Plenty of freshness so the expression is lifted as well. Firm and long on the finish. Everything is decidedly in place.

Drink 2025 - 2035

The 2020 Côte Rôtie Lieu-Dit Bonnivières is solid, with some old-school-like juicy acidity and meatiness as well as medium to full-bodied richness and depth on the palate. Showing the riper style of the vintage, it has a complex, floral perfume that includes red and blue fruits as well as notes of sandalwood, leather, and violets. It's young and unevolved and needs 4-5 years of bottle age, but it's a beautiful wine.

Drink from 2027 onward

Dark, shimmering magenta. Displays highly perfumed black and blue fruit aromas, along with hints of vanilla, potpourri, olive and smoky minerals. Densely packed cherry, blueberry and fruitcake flavours stretch out steadily with air while taking on a suggestion of exotic spices. The mineral note repeats firmly on the vibrant and impressively long finish, which is shaped by youthfully gripping tannins.

Yves Cuilleron succeeded his uncle, Antoine, in 1987. This highly regarded domaine has been steadily expanding. With vineyard holdings of only 3.5 hectares when Yves Cuilleron assumed control, he is now pushing toward 100 hectares with vines in every Northern Rhône appellation, save for Hermitage. Cuilleron is not shy about using new oak, but the percentage has been throttled back over the last decade, which is a positive result. Cuilleron travels extensively, and his wines are now omnipresent worldwide. The entry-level Syrah bottlings here deliver excellent value and are a great and readily available introduction to the house style, which favours generous fruit and relative accessibility. That said, recent vintages have become a bit more serious, showing more restraint and structure than in the past.

Drink 2027 - 2037