The fat, unctuously-textured, tropical fruit-scented 2003 Condrieu La Bonnette is a bit fragile given its low acidity, but it possesses loads of fruit. Purchasers who consume it within the next 12-18 months are in for a treat.
Rostaing told me that in 2003 he only produced 40% of his normal crop, and even more bizarre, he began the harvest on August 21st. Virtually everything in his cellar is over 14% alcohol. One of France’s top sources of Cote Rotie, Rostaing’s intelligent policy about upbringing in both barrels and demi-muids as well as his flexibility about racking and filtration reflect his meticulousness at all stages of winemaking. He did refuse to acidify in 2003 despite extremely low levels of acidity and high pH’s, but he said that actual acidities seemed to go up at the end of fermentation since there seemed to be more acid trapped in the interior of the grapes than in the skins. This is a great vintage for Rostaing, even more exotic and richer than his 1999s.
P.S. By the way, if you cannot afford or find Rostaing’s Cote Roties, he owns 30 acres of vineyards in the Coteaux du Languedoc and his soft, fleshy 2003 Pech-Chaud (a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Grenache) is very Cote Rotie-like. It is ideal for drinking during its first 3-4 years of life.
Rostaing’s importer status is not yet settled.
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