Walls: Exceptional single-vineyard Côte-Rôtie from Benjamin & David Duclaux

A wonderful nose: rose and tobacco leaf, really attractive. Soft, easy-going, velvety style on the palate with mouthfilling fruit and well-balanced acidity. The alcohol is a touch high, but suits the style. Touch of tannic grip on the long finish. The oak is still quite present, but will integrate in time. The family has 3ha in the Coteaux de Tupin; they choose the best terraces of that year. All whole-bunch fermented, aged in barrel for 22 months. Gneiss soils.

So rich, so powerful, but not excessive. It has lovely acidity and is so fresh. Amazing richness of fruit, great velvety tannins, wonderfully expressive aromatics of fresh rose, cigars, and perfumed smoke. A wonderful wine. The family has 3ha in the Coteaux de Tupin; they choose the best terraces of that year. All whole-bunch fermented, aged in barrel for 22 months. Gneiss soils.

A rich and very deep fruit expression. It's velvety, soft and lush, from a very ripe vintage. Good acidity however. It has relatively big proportions for this estate, but not excessively so. Sweet raspberry and cigar tobacco, sandalwood, cedar and spice. Incredible length. A great wine, with huge ageing potential, but equally it could be drunk today. The family has 3ha in the Coteaux de Tupin; they choose the best terraces of that year. All whole bunch-fermented, aged in barrel for 22 months. Gneiss soils. First vintage of this cuvée.

A lovely nose, in a very elegant style, it's not dominated by new oak. Fine, red-fruited aromas with a touch of juniper, and a good sense of precision. Weightier than expected on the palate. It's delicate, but has good presence and fullness. Good acidity and a spicy finish. Fresh, well balanced, will age well. Good now, but wait for further complexity. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Deeply coloured. Intense and open on the nose, with darker fruit character than the 2020. Spicier in style, with smoky juniper notes. Full in body, soft, juicy, but with plenty of intensity. Really mouthcoating fruit and ripe, plentiful tannins, with slightly raised alcohol compared to a typical vintage, but it's all in balance. Long, impressive and delicious. The most powerful vintage of this cuvée, but it's so good. The drinking dates are conservative, it might last much longer. Picked over five days, with one degree of alcohol difference from the start to the finish. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Darkly coloured. With its ripe and open aromas, this is a lush example, velvety, with lower acidity than some vintages. Very generous, with quite high alcohol. Certainly delicious, but a little lacking in cut and strictness compared to some other years. 'More massive in style,' as a vintage according to Benjamin Duclaux. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

A relatively dark, savoury expression, still very young at eight years of age. Slightly closed at the time of tasting, with good intensity and freshness on the palate; enjoyably saline, with some cut and definition on the finish. There's a slight edge to the tannins. Well balanced, with some tobacco and cedar notes. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

This vintage is slightly paler than other recent ones. Fresh and well balanced, enjoyably drinkable, almost Burgundian in style. Good acidity, but just wait a couple of years for it to reopen, as it's in something of a closed phase. A cooler vintage, they finished picking in early October. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Still very deep and dark in colour. Very much closed for business currently, and a touch reduced. Berry coulis and liquorice come with air, but it's a touch truculent. Lovely sense of generosity, a weighty expression of this cuvée. Very tannic, but they're rounded tannins, and with good acidity. Will be excellent in time, but this needs a long time in bottle. Hands off until 2030. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

This has a certain strictness on the nose, a touch volatile, though it's open now, with spicy raspberry notes and cedar. Not light on the palate, it does have some weight, and a good sense of freshness. Touch of smoke on the finish, good acidity. They did a good job here. Not a generous or deep vintage, but a well balanced, fresh and elegant one. Warm spring, not a cold year but wet, and hard to reach full ripeness. 40% less than average crop here, they had to cut a lot of damaged berries out. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Very fresh, with blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf notes. Light- to medium-bodied, with tense, tight tannins. Lacks a bit of elegance in terms of texture, as the tannins are a touch raw, but the acidity is good. An austere vintage. They lost 30% of the crop to coulure. Late vintage, picked in October. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Open, developed, ready to drink. Notes of tobacco, rose and incense, this is very aromatic. Lovely sense of generosity on the palate but fresh and velvety. Well balanced, harmonious, with good length. This has everything in the right amount and the right place; 2025 is the perfect moment to drink this. Perhaps just lacking a little concentration and length, but just so charming and classic. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Ready now, soft and velvety, juicy. Not as complex as some vintages, but drinking very well now. Forest floor notes alongside the blackberry fruit. Very soft and appealing. Herbal blackberry notes, with a soft structure at this stage. A late, large crop that was difficult to get fully ripe. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Spicy and smoky before the fruit, quite intense in aroma, but starting to open. Strict, tense and tannic, so this still needs time. Tannins are a little angular, with good acidity. Upright, tense, and very long. A serious wine, but it needs a long time to soften. Benjamin Duclaux describes this wine as 'serious, a good student, academic,' which accurately captures the style. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

This still has a lovely bright ruby colour in 2025. A soft, easy-going, velvety style. It's long, still quite tannic, but generous and soft. Taking on some forest floor and a touch of farmyard complexity. Lovely red-fruited style. Acidity is quite low, but it's drinking well now. A vintage for those that enjoy an old-school style. It's perhaps not as technically clean as later vintages but nonetheless enjoyable. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

The nose is beginning to lose some fruit, there's a herbal note that's beginning to dominate. Light-bodied with good, fresh acidity, but the fruit is struggling now. Tannins are a little harsh, a touch austere and angular. Still some enjoyable structure, smoke and salt, but time to drink up. This was a difficult vintage, with a bad end to the season, there were two heavy rains during harvest. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Great colour still after 18 years. Lovely nose: truffle, forest floor, cedar and piquant spicing. Lovely fleshy palate, with good salinity and freshness. Long finish, this is really excellent now. Acidity is a touch low perhaps, but it's very harmonious, complex and delicious. Earthy finish. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Lovely nose, really open and complex, with truffle, some black fruit notes, mint, juniper. Soft and enjoyable, juicy, this is a lovely time to drink it. Totally harmonious, another example of a really lovely 2006, an underrated year. Long finish, good acidity. Excellent, such a fresh and classic Côte-Rôtie. Cleansing tannin to close. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Amazingly youthful colour still. Spicy, herbal, dark style of aroma, slightly forbidding, a touch balsamic. Straight, energetic and fresh. Still plentiful tannins. It's so fresh, with good acidity and great length. Focused, intense and saline, with notes of forest floor. Still feels youthful. Drink now for the cut and thrust of the tannins; or later. First vintage of this cuvée. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.