| Score: |
94+ JG.
"2013 marks the inaugural vintage of a Côte Blonde bottling from Domaine Gilles Barge, as their production from this superb vineyard was always reserved for inclusion in their Cuvée du Plessy prior to 2013. There are only sixteen hundred bottles of this first vintage of Côte Blonde from the Barge family, as this is made from their oldest vines in this vineyard and presumably comes primarily from the half hectare parcel of Petite Sérine that the family began sourcing from Joseph Duplessy in 1978. The Barge family’s 2013 Côte Blonde is a stunning young Côte-Rôtie, wafting from the glass in a completely suave and smoky nose of red and black raspberries, gamebird, pepper, youthful stem tones, a beautiful base of soil, incipient nuttiness, woodsmoke, lovely spices and just a hint of cedar. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and utterly refined, with a fine core of fruit, excellent transparency, firm, ripe tannins, good acids and excellent focus and grip on the very long and seamlessly balanced finish. This is not quite as big a wine as the 2013 Côte Brune from the domaine, but it is every bit as intensely flavored and promising." John Gilman, View From the Cellar #65, Oct 2016 |