The Ultimate Collector Cote Roties: Made for the Greek from the Best Terroir in the Rhone, Incredible 2015 Vintage

There Is the Greek Liking You ...
...And There Is the Greek Offering You the Big Boy Cote Roties

After 6 Years, I Finally Made the Grade
Two CLASSIC, Ageworthy Cote Roties

2015 Compagnie l'Hermitage Côte Rotie "La Brocarde"
- Indescribably Floral
- Ridiculous Sweet, Intense Fruit

2015 Compagnie l'Hermitage Côte Rotie "Côte Rozier"
- Unique and Brilliant Rozier Fruit
- Amazing fruit, Fresh Acids, Tiny Blackberry, Black Cherry Fruit Intensity

I have written I don't  know how many times about the wine store in the small town of Tain l' Hermitage, Compagnie l'Hermitage, which is run by Georges Lelektsoglou and his son Charlie Lelektsoglou. The store is a legendary place. George is the Pope of Tain l'Hermitage and the store is

like his Vatican. People come to visit from all over the world and of course the Rhone. Oh who's that over there? That's Jeb Dunnuck. There's Yann Chave. There's Jean Louis Chave. There's Henrik Möbitz. Everyone and anyone. It's a pilgrimage. As one can imagine George has many many connections over the years and he would be a fool not to use them. George is no fool and one thing he is  uncompromising on is quality. If his store or his name is going to be on a bottle of wine, it better not only be damn good but the best of its category. George has a charming braggadocio about him but the thing is the man has delivered on all of this vinous braggadocio. The value wines like the Cairanne VV or the Visan are the best of their kind and over deliver. I have had countless emails about those wines from happy clients. His Crozes VV St. Gervans has to be the top 2-3 Crozes of the vintage. I sold for $40 and people are crying they did not buy more. Now as we go up the ladder the happy client to email response ratio gets more profound. You have to understand getting George's high end wines is no easy task. He releases later than almost everyone and has an intense following in his store for these wines and he only makes a barrel of each. He makes much more of the cheaper ones. We sold the 2015 Chateaneuf du Pape Lieu Dit "Pignan" and it was around $90 and we sold a good amount even at that price. I'm not a CDP drinker but George said it was better than Rayas in 2015. A few serious CDP drinkers amongst my clients said it was one of the top ones of the vintage especially compared to some of the prices on the other deluxe cuvee CDP's. They were thrilled. I've got my bottle tucked away for a blizzard.

Now that brings us to today's offer. It is also from the "Lieu Dit" series that showcase the best terroir of the Rhone as expressed through George Lelektsoglou who always, and I mean always keeps his sources quiet. From where he got the vineyard from to where he raises the wine and who helps him raise it.  He's a massive influence and in order to pay him back in a way he has unique access to top winemakers and terroir and makes easily the best private label wines from a wine shop in the world. Let's be honest private label wines for wine shops universally stink and not only has he transcended the category he has ascended to the top and remains and will remain alone. The wines today, which Charlie and George have been telling me about for 3 years are finally here. They only made one barrel of each and I had a small sampling of each one at the store this past January. They are the much heralded and awaited 2015 Côte Roties. Today I have two of the most incredible and rarest wines of wine vintage from some of the top top terroir in Cote Rotie. These are allocated and will age gloriously. I think they are closed now and really need 5-8 years fk start drinking. The 2012 Lieu Dit Brocarde for example is shockingly insane now. These are world class best of class ageworthy Côte Roties from a vintage where Côte Rotie is the best appellation. A perfect vintage.

One thing must be mentioned about both of these wines and how they are made and vinified. And of course how they are aged. Both wines use the minimal amount of S02 without making the wine unstable. This gives them a purity you'll likely only see in maybe Jean-Paul Stephan. The wines are not filtered and requires aging of 12 months minimum. Also everything is done by gravity. These wines are not even bottled yet which happens in June. Other Côte Roties have been our for a year. The 2010 for example required 37 months of aging, compared to the normal 18-24 month regime of most Côte Rotie and that extra aging costs money. It's also bottled manually by gravity. Also dry materials like bottle, cork, label costs 4 times as more as the normal regimen. All of this adds up to a mater of his craft who knows exactly what he is doing. I had a client who stopped by the shop and drank a lot of crazy wine while he was there and he said the 2012 and 2015 La Brocarde from the Greek were the best wines he tasted the entire trip. By far.

Up first I've got the 2015 Compagnie l'Hermitage (Lelektsoglou) Côte Rotie Lieu Dit "La Brocarde" for $129.99 a bottle on a 3-Pack. La Brocarde is an amazing site and these are very old vines from the best parcel in George's opinion. George knows his stuff and has tasted, walked these vineyards for decades. This is the first vintage of this wine I have sold as I've never been offered it before. It is extraordinary and profound Côte Rotie of the highest degree but man does this wine need time. This is aged in one year old barrels. I always find Brocarde not to need like ridiculous time but 5-8 years always seems to do the trick. The wine is like in 8D and the tannins are just some of the most amazing tannins I've tasted anywhere. Ever. There is a special quality to them. Maybe pearly? Or just so fine and refined they are like a master blend of velvet and silk, some new yet uninvented substance.

The nose is sick. So many deep intoxicating aromas don't know where to begin. Mint, leather, amalgam of berries with so many flowers. My god this wine is floral. There is an engaging lilac/violet and even dandelion thing going on. It is just insane floral as Brocarde I always think is one of the most floral Côte Roties our there. It's intoxicating. Smoke and cassis eventually with air. It's just crazy.


The palate is even better. It's incredible. Each sip is an experience and it has energy and freshness like nothing else. The energy and freshness in all of the 2015 Côte Rotie is like nothing else. Just incredible. Because with the nuclear levels of fruit one needs energy and freshness which raises the complexity level. The inner mouth florals which are even more intense than normal. There is a ridiculous amount of sweet intense fruit. Loads of cassis. It is mindbogglingly juicy and complex. The classic velvety tannins of La Brocarde are very apparent. The purity is off the charts. When you combine this level of purity with this level of fruit is takes your breath away. The contrast that happens to make it a harmonious whole is  something else. Big blackberry fruit that just explodes in your mouth. It's so sweet and floral. Terrific long finish that is actually legitimately amazing. There is so much tiny berry fruit complexity and it saps down on the the finish. It's masterpiece and a work of art. I don't sell many wines at this price point but when I do they always deliver. Below is Jeb Dunnuck's 93-95 pt review. Personally I think this will be 97+ upon maturity. The wine has as much upside as Shohei Ohtani!  Past vintages have been 95 (2010), 94+ (2012), 93 (2011). This is now one of the top wines in all of Côte Rotie.

"In the same ballpark as the Côte Rozier, the 2015 Côte Rôtie La Brocarde offers more cured meats, graphite, wood spice and blackcurrants, as well as full-bodied richness and a supple, beautiful finish. Both this and the Côte Rozier cuvées are smokin' good." 93-95 Jeb Dunnuck

Next up is the  2015 Compagnie l'Hermitage (Lelektsoglou) Côte Rotie Lieu Dit "Côte Rozier" for $129.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. This is the remarkable debut vintage of this wine and it is a bruiser. While the Brocarde is the more sexy, elegant, early approachable wine if one wants, the Rozier is a big sexy beast. But even being big and rich it is never heavy as a Côte Rotie is a wine of finesse over all other things. This is aged in 2 year old barrels. As with the Brocarde this is the only barrel and it is from the oldest and best vines of the Côte Rozier. It has a very distinctive nose of mint and woodland berry fruit that is dazzling. Of course this is Côte Rotie and this is floral as all can be. Stunning nose. Very very aromatic.  The nose on all of the Greeks wines are just insane. They deliver the goods and delivers the hype. But it cannot be denied now great these wines are. The fruit is so unique and so brilliant in Rozier. It's black cherries and black berries. Incredible inner mouth florals and sick energy. This provides a counterpoint or platter for all the full bodied rich fruit. It's so amazing as this is richer than Brocarde and yet it never comes across as heavy and it is downright elegant. That juxtaposition is captivating and what the essence of Côte Rotie is. Amazing fruit, fresh acids, tiny blackberry, black cherry fruit intensity that is the heart and soul of this wine. The fruit is extraordinary. Below is Jeb's 93-95+ review.


"Starting  with the 2015 Côte Rôtie Côte Rozier, this big beauty was only partially destemmed and aged in barrel. Black cherries, sweet oak, charcoal and blackcurrants all emerge from the glass and it has full-bodied richness, sweet tannin and a blockbuster finish. Forget bottles For 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 10-15." - 93-95+ Jeb Dunnuck