Every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. I'm going deep into my wine cellar to pull out the last of some very great bottles. I promise rare wines for the cellar- builder in very limited quantities, gems of astonishing quality carrying highly pedigreed labels that will tempt the most temperate among us.

Let's get drinking some Cote Rotie! I just happen to have a small quantity of great older ones on hand.

Pierre Gaillard makes dazzling Cote Rotie.

Pierre gets amazing reviews in La Revue du Vin de France also.

"With 100% constancy, Pierre Gaillard pursues work of quality. An intelligent and dynamic grower, he offers since several years passionate wines which are winning in their youth yet never lack for depth and potential as they age. He represents the most sure values of the Northern Rhone."

Rose Pourpre is Gaillard's special Cote Rotie cuvee. The wine comes from a parcel called Cote Rozier at the heart of the Cote Brune.

Pierre is a terroiriste. He believes in letting the land do the speaking. He goes after and gets, perfect maturity from his grapes from patient work in the vineyards. He cold macerates his wines to extract their fresh expression and he marries the juice to a judicious amount of oak to create a harmonious wine with complex and seductive aromatics.

The Cote Rotie sits south of Lyon and north of Hermitage on the banks of the Rhone. The vineyards tower over the town of Ampuis,and cling to narrow, terraced slopes. Many think that Cote Rotie is the source of the greatest Syrah, surpassing even Hermitage. Cote Rotie produces wines that are less austere than Hermitage and dazzle with an intensity of flavor that cannot be believed. If you've ever had doubts about what "complexity" means in a wine, Cote Rotie will spell it out for you.

Pierre Gaillard:

#1 Cote Rotie Rose Pourpre 2004 - - 36 bottles left 6 bottles $425 12-bottle case $899
"Gaillard's top cuvee, the 2004 Cote Rotie Rose Pourpre exhibits sweeter fruit, plenty of smoke, pain grille, and cassis, and a hint of tapenade. It is a very good, deep, attractive wine to drink over the next 5-7 years."

#2 Cote Rotie Rose Pourpre 2005 - Parker: 91+ and WS 94
3 bottles $299, 6 bottles $559 12-bottle case $999 ($83)
"The 2005 Cote Rotie Rose Pourpre, from the Rozier site on pure schist, is fabulous. Deep ruby/purple with notes of blackberries, anise, pain grille, tar, and flowers, the wine is full-bodied, pure, ripe, intensely concentrated, and superbly etched and structured. Give this wine 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the next 10-15 years."RParker Rated 91+

"Very polished, with suave toast and cocoa notes woven into the dark currant paste, fig sauce and chocolate ganache flavors. The long, plush finish has great drive and buried minerality. Best from 2010 through 2020. 175 cases imported." -JM WS Rated 94

#3 Cote Rotie Rose Pourpre 2006 - Wine Spectator Rated 93
3 bottles $299, 6 bottles $549 12-bottle case $999 ($83)
"This delivers a muscular beam of mulled black currant fruit and fig paste notes laid over supersupple tannins, with black tea, espresso, spice and charred applewood notes filling out the long, dense finish. Impressive. Best from 2010 through 2020." -JM Rated 93-Wine Spectator

Pierre Gaillard makes additional Cote Rotie (not single vineyard - and lower priced) as well:

#4 Cote Rotie 2005 - Parker 90 and WS 92 - 36 bottles left 6 bottles $379, 12-bottle case $699 ($58)
"The 2005 Cote Rotie is a beauty, exhibiting floral notes intermixed with red and black fruits, as well as hints of licorice, tar, and olive. The wine is rich, medium to full-bodied, with moderately sweet tannins, and good structure and length. This is a knockout."90

"Still a touch tight, but a solid core of coffee, bittersweet cocoa, fig cake and tobacco bodes well for cellaring. The ripe, well-embedded tannins carry the concentrated finish. Best from 2009 through 2019. 250 cases imported."-JM92

Cote Rotie is a Rite of Passage wine. You must have it in your cellar to understand the greatness of the Northern Rhone. Cynthia Hurley

To order just hit reply and let me know how many cases. Delivery will be immediate. Quantities are quite limited

The Details

Pricing is above by each wine and vintage. These are the pinnacle of great Syrah. Everyone should have some in their cellars.

Mixed cases get case pricing.