Subtle hints of fresh pea shoots accent characteristic dark notes of roasted meat, espresso and black olives in the full-bodied 2018 Cote Rotie La Landonne. Rich, concentrated and velvety-textured, with ample length and plenty of ripe tannins on the finish, it should benefit from a decade or more of bottle age—once it gets there. It's a brooding beast of a Cote Rotie that serious collectors will want to have in their cellars.

The 2018 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is a different beast, as always. Inky black-hued, with a monster of a nose revealing tons of smoked black fruits, cured meats, tobacco, ground pepper, and graphite. It has an almost Pauillac-like profile and is full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, with building tannins, flawless balance, and a huge finish. Pure raw power, this needs at least a decade of bottle age and will be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage.

Vibrant purple. A deeply perfumed, mineral-accented bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, potpourri, incense and olive, and a dusty mineral nuance gains power as the wine stretches out. Shows superb depth as well as energy on the palate, offering gently sweet blackberry, cherry preserve, smoky bacon and fruitcake flavors that are supported by a core of juicy acidity. In a powerful yet vibrant style, displaying sharp focus, mounting tannins and a strikingly long, floral- and smoke-tinged finish All whole clusters and 100% new oak.

This is very full-bodied, dense, firm and muscular. There is an extremely deep weave of tannins that are massy and ripe alongside acidity that’s just on the low side. This La Landonne is never destemmed, and in 2018 the stems had lignified, which has resulted in slightly less pepper and herbal notes, but still displays black olive and bay leaf. A thunderous wine with exceptional length. From the northern part of this lieu-dit, planted in 1975 to commemorate the birth of Philippe Guigal. At the beginning of its 42 months in new French oak barriques.

Cask sample. So distinctive: the herby, stemmy element is absolutely shining, and the fruit seems more expressive than the La Turque and La Mouline. Strong coffee-grounds note on the palate, adding a smoky bitterness. Gritty tannins that give delicious grip. A great example.