I loved the 2017 Côte Rôtie Château D'Ampuis. It’s a ripe, expressive barrel sample overflowing with notions of black raspberries, cassis, vanilla bean, and incense. Medium to full-bodied, rounded, and silky, it has lots of ripe tannins as well as stunning balance.

Well-steeped red and black cherry fruit melds nicely with a broad range of alder, sanguine, black tea, bay leaf and incense notes, which all swirl together through the very lengthy finish. A buried cast iron note gives this the spine it needs for the cellar.

Guigal's 2017 Cote Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis epitomizes the appellation, with sexy complexities of smoky bacon fat interlaced with skeins of blueberries and cherries. Full-bodied, creamy and lush in feel, finishing long and succulent, it's a terrific Cote Rotie to drink over the next 20 years.