A deep cellar of Northern Rhône purchased at Bâtard in 2015 allowed for many dozen mature Rostaing experiences, brief reflections on which below.
Bottle-to-bottle consistency, rarest of qualities for pre-2000 Northern Rhône wines, is remarkably high. In many instances the gap between the most and least expressive bottle in a 12 bottle case is more-or-less negligible. This will seem strange praise to drinkers less familiar with this era of No Rhô but those who have been stung oftener will understand the emphasis perfectly well. ‘La Landonne’ is the richer and more powerful of the two cuvées offered here. Reputation suggests the wine takes much longer to reach its peak but personal experience dissents from this.
'La Landonne’ assumes a more stoic and solid stance, yes, but this is as true in full maturity as at earlier evolutionary moments. The vitality and strength of younger bottles are their own particular pleasures, preference for more bottle age being more personal than obvious.
Cheers,
Jason
