Consider the following: 1) Yves Cuilleron is a bonafide wine superstar; 2) the 2016 vintage was an outstanding year in the northern Rhône; 3) Côte-Rôtie is perhaps the grandest, most illustrious Syrah terroir on earth. What happens when all three converge into one? Cuilleron’s highly prized “Bonnivières” Côte-Rôtie. The word is out and it’s echoing sonorously: In 2016, this top bottling reached untold levels of polished depth, profound savor, and cellar appeal that extends far beyond the horizon.
There is a stunning three-dimensional vividness to its smoky earth and deeply textured fruit—a testament to the superlative quality of Yves’ mindfully farmed grapes, ingenious marriage of modern and traditional in the cellar, and skill-refinement that comes from working these hillsides for decades. There are very few people who would turn down one of the world’s great bottlings of Syrah in a celebrated vintage, but when it comes in at a double-digit price, I don’t know anyone in their right mind who would ignore it. Dazzle your guests now (after an hours-long decant) and stash your remainders deep in your cellar. It’ll evolve into an unforgettable savory treasure in the years and decades to come—and its value will keep rising too!
[*NOTE: This wine is being special-ordered and will be arriving at our warehouse on June 3rd. Limit six bottles per person.]
I first met Yves Cuilleron in 2007. At the time, I was living in Las Vegas while working as part of a team that had just opened an ambitious restaurant project. My colleagues and I were all starstruck when, one night, Yves came through the door with his close friends and fellow northern Rhône superstars, Yves Gangloff and François Villard. This “dream team” enjoyed their evening together while I pulled corks from a variety of rare gems and, before leaving, they invited me to visit them in the Rhône. Less than one month later, I was on a plane to France. Visiting with Cuilleron was one of the highlights of a three-week trip. Yves opened 14 or 15 bottles dating back to his first vintages in the late 1980s, and for the first time, my eyes opened widely to the impressive cellaring potential of this superstar label.
Cave Yves Cuilleron is located just outside the town of Chavanay, in the northern reaches of Saint-Joseph, which puts them tantalizingly close to today’s special Côte-Rôtie lieu-dit: “Bonnivières.” This tiny, prized site is located just upslope from world-famous Côte Brune (Domaine Jamet’s bottling goes for $600+), but they share the same mica-schist soil and same ideal sun exposure. Cuilleron’s vines are hand-worked and all pesticides are avoided—in fact, any fertilizer treatments these vines may be subjected to are fully organic! The fruit is harvested manually as well, and a partial whole-cluster fermentation takes place in open-top tanks, with malolactic occurring in barriques. In total, the wine spends 18 months developing and maturing in oak barrels, of which 50-60% are new.
PSA: If drinking within the next couple of years, it’s important to allow a lengthy 2+ hour decant in order to milk the most out of this stunning bottle in its youth. Once it has opened up and been poured into your largest Bordeaux stems, gear up for an explosive aromatic display. Discovering the enticing world of top-shelf northern Rhône never gets tiring: Cuilleron’s 2016 Côte-Rôtie “Bonnivières” erupts with a wonderful sauvage character (a wild concoction I associate with garrigue, smoke, and meat), intensely dark-fruited savor, and crushed stone minerality. Its rich blue and black fruits, combined with soft-shouldered yet muscular tannins, create a Syrah of ultimate polish and luxury, all while proudly maintaining classic pepper and tobacco notes. The mouthfeel delivers layer after rich layer, each of which is accented by vibrant freshness. But it’s not all about opulence and broadness—there is a precise crystalline focus to the wine that allows for a mesmerizing mineral-channeled and spice-tinged finish. My oh my, how this will age! If possible, save the majority of your bottles until the wine’s 5th-7th birthday and hold a couple until 2030 (or 2040) and well beyond. Match it with a medium-rare steak that’s heavy on the poivre and bask in what’s bound to be a seriously luxurious meal. Enjoy!
