2018 Stephane Montez / Domaine de Monteillet Cote-Rotie Les Grandes Places

Jeb Dunnuck (96-99+) – “The 2018 Côte Rôtie Les Grandes Places comes from a rocky, schist terroir located in the northern part of the appellation and is brought up all in barrel. It offers incredible crème de cassis fruits interwoven with notions of violets, graphite, crushed stone, and rare meat. This powerhouse is loaded with fruit, extract, and tannin, yet it has remarkable purity. It’s not for those seeking instant gratification and will need a solid 7-8 years of bottle age, but wow, what a wine. Stephane Montez is unquestionably one of the most talented and passionate vignerons in the Northern Rhône and produces a bevy of brilliant Condrieu and Côte Rôties. In addition to his classic Les Grandes Chaillees and Chanson Condrieu releases, Montez has recently added a new Condrieu La Grillette to his repertoire that comes from vines bordering Chateau Grillet. It’s another magical wine in this lineup and while neither the 2017 nor 2018 had been bottled, both were some of the finest Condrieu to pass my lips. Looking at the reds, the two flagship releases are the Côte Rôtie Fortis, which is notable for its large Viognier component, and the Les Grandes Places, which sees the longest élevage of all the reds. The Fortis is relatively approachable on release and is always a seamless, seductive wine. The Grandes Places is a beast of a wine that demands upwards of a decade of bottle age.”