The 2018 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is a different beast, as always. Inky black-hued, with a monster of a nose revealing tons of smoked black fruits, cured meats, tobacco, ground pepper, and graphite. It has an almost Pauillac-like profile and is full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, with building tannins, flawless balance, and a huge finish. Pure raw power, this needs at least a decade of bottle age and will be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage.

Vibrant purple. A deeply perfumed, mineral-accented bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, potpourri, incense and olive, and a dusty mineral nuance gains power as the wine stretches out. Shows superb depth as well as energy on the palate, offering gently sweet blackberry, cherry preserve, smoky bacon and fruitcake flavors that are supported by a core of juicy acidity. In a powerful yet vibrant style, displaying sharp focus, mounting tannins and a strikingly long, floral- and smoke-tinged finish All whole clusters and 100% new oak.

Velvet textured, a very fine and elegant expression of La Landonne. Certainly fuller in body and more powerful than her cuvée classique, naturally longer and more concentrated, and the oak is a little more noticeable, but will integrate in time. Very impressive, this has wonderful presence in the mouth, and such elegance. Soft and appealing, clearly a ripe vintage. Nonetheless very well balanced, with great vibrancy and intensity.

Cask sample. So distinctive: the herby, stemmy element is absolutely shining, and the fruit seems more expressive than the La Turque and La Mouline. Strong coffee-grounds note on the palate, adding a smoky bitterness. Gritty tannins that give delicious grip. A great example. (RH)

Subtle hints of fresh pea shoots accent characteristic dark notes of roasted meat, espresso and black olives in the full-bodied 2018 Cote Rotie La Landonne. Rich, concentrated and velvety-textured, with ample length and plenty of ripe tannins on the finish, it should benefit from a decade or more of bottle age—once it gets there. It's a brooding beast of a Cote Rotie that serious collectors will want to have in their cellars.