Julien Barge, Cuvee du Plessy Cote Rotie 2017

95 points Wine Spectator
"Very expressive, with singed bay, sweet tapenade and singed juniper notes leading off, followed by gently mulled cherry, plum and raspberry fruit flavors. Juniper note streaks through the fruit on the finish, with a long sanguine note echoing as well. Drink now through 2035."

Vinous Reverie Notes
Cuvee du Plessy is a blend of Cote Rotie sites, came out of a collaboration began in 1978 with a neighbor, Joseph du Plessy. Scion of the pioneering Domaine-bottling du Plessy family, he had vines in the Cote Blonde lieu-dit that were planted in the 1940s. From 1979 until 1994, Barge vinified and bottle this fruit on its own, and the wine earned a loyal following as a beautiful expression of Cote Blonde finesse. In fact, in 1982, when Marius Gentaz’s UK importer asked for more Cote Rôtie, Gentaz pointed him Barge’s way, specifically recommending the cuvee made from the vines of M. du Plessy. In 1994, upon taking charge of the Domaine, Barge believed he could put the du Plessy fruit to even better use, by creating an homage to traditional blended Cote Rotie, in which the du Plessy fruit is the bedrock. This is essentially the Blonde counterpart to the Cote Brune wine, sourced primarily from such prime southern sector sites as Lancement, Boucharey and the ancient du Plessy vines from the Cote Blonde lieu-dit itself. Containing 5% Viognier, it is the essence of balance and refinement.