Côte-Rôtie 2016 wines: The top scorers
See which wines Matt Walls rated most highly in his Rhône 2016 vintage report, available exclusively to Decanter Premium members.
The Côte-Rôtie 2016 wines had the slightly daunting challenge of living up to a lauded 2015 vintage across the Northern Rhône.
In such circumstances, it’s common for the subsequent vintage to be greeted with a slightly muted response.
Things were certainly more mixed for the Northern Rhône in 2016, not least due to more unpredictable weather, and early signs suggest that this is a fresher, slightly less concentrated vintage when compared to 2015.
‘The [Côte-Rôtie] 2016s are good – not terribly concentrated, but with ripe red fruits and only very rarely suffering any greenness or astringency,’ writes Matt Walls in his vintage report, published on Decanter.com earlier this month. He also warns of the continued over-reliance on new oak at some estates.
Still, many of the best wines should still last in a well-managed cellar for between 10 to 20 years, he believes.
See Matt’s top scorers from this northern tip of the Rhône, below.
Top scoring Côte-Rôtie 2016 wines
All of the wines below scored at least 95 points.
See Matt Walls’ full Northern Rhône 2016 report
And find the Southern Rhône 2016 report here
Domaine Jean-Paul Jamet, Côte Brune, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
Jamet's Côte Brune is a historical oddity rather than the result of following the single vineyard trend. It once represented 50% of production, but as...
2016
Domaine Jean-Paul JametCôte-Rôtie
Domaine Rostaing, Côte Blonde, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
No destemming here, aged in mostly old demi-muids with no more than 10% new oak. A captivatingly pretty floral fragrance can be coaxed out along...
2016
Domaine RostaingCôte-Rôtie
Domaine Rostaing, La Landonne, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
Aged in demi-muids - a maximum of 10% new oak - with no destemming. It has that austere mineral character on the nose so typical...
2016
Domaine RostaingCôte-Rôtie
Domaine Jean-Paul Jamet, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
There is no better way to develop an understanding of the different expressions of the single vineyard sites of Côte-Rôtie than by tasting from barrel...
2016
Domaine Jean-Paul JametCôte-Rôtie
E Guigal, La Landonne, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
Not destemmed. Always the deepest and most austere of the single vineyard 'La La' wines, the 2016 La Landonne exhibits some classic peppery spice and...
2016
E GuigalCôte-Rôtie
E Guigal, La Mouline, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
A vintage that underlines the terroir', says Philippe Guigal. Vibrant and full of fruit, with underlying oak spice aromas. Juicy, soft and yielding on the...
2016
E GuigalCôte-Rôtie
Domaine Clusel-Roch, Les Grandes Places, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
From 75 year-old vines on the lieu-dit of Les Grandes Places, around 35% destemmed. It's a darker, more brooding style than their Viallière, with black...
2016
Domaine Clusel-RochCôte-Rôtie
Delas Frères, La Landonne, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
The first vintage of this wine was in 1997. It has resonant Côte-Rôtie aromatics; sylvan, resinous, and more vinous than many. It is medium to...
2016
Delas FrèresCôte-Rôtie
Domaine Bonnefond, Côte Rozier, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
A darker, meatier style than their other cuvées, with defined berry fruits and a brooding, earthy background. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, this has...
2016
Domaine BonnefondCôte-Rôtie
E Guigal, La Turque, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
Darker in character than La Mouline with some roasted spice notes. It is exceptionally smooth and seamless on the palate, very harmonious with life, intensity...
2016
E GuigalCôte-Rôtie
