Dark purple. Hugely aromatic, utterly seductive bouquet of kirsch, blackcurrant, olive, grilled meat and fresh flowers. Bitter cherry and violet pastille flavors pack a major punch, with slow-building tannins adding structure. Became slowly brighter with air, picking up spiced plum and cocoa flavors and finishing with supple tannins and an endless progression of dark berry qualities. "This always needs the most oxygen of these wines," Guigal noted.

The densest, most concentrated and impressive offering is the 2004 Cote Rotie La Landonne. Aromas of Peking duck, bouquet garni, graphite, asphalt, blackberries, and charcoal soar from the glass of this full-bodied, dense, remarkably concentrated 2004. In a vintage where record-setting yields were the norm in the northern Rhone, this wine possesses a level of concentration that is hard to believe. It should drink well for 15 or more years.

One of the most elegant and ready-to-drink la Landonnes in the past 10-12 years is the 2004 Cote Rotie la Landonne. Already perfumed and complex, with beautiful smoked beef, rose petals, forest floor and sweet dark fruits, it almost has a Pinot Noir-like elegance and seamlessness. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and with nicely integrated acidity, drink it anytime over the coming decade.