Bernard Levet Côte Rôtie Syrah 2020

Jay Kline

Woof. One smell of the 2020 Levet Côte Rôtie and you know it’s happening! The wine pours a deep ruby with a purple tinge and a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. No signs of sediment or gas. The nose: absolutely feral. Holy whole-cluster Batman! All of the rotundone your heart could desire. Funky dark bramble fruit, deli case, black pepper, blueberry crisp, lavender, dried green herbs, inorganic earth, and subtle baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes on the nose. The finish is long with a generous streak of minerals. An awesome Levet that’s already showing off, in its relative youth. Drinking surprisingly well right now and I expect it will continue to do so, well through 2035.

romo

Neither Journaries nor Chavarotes, and that’s too bad.