Côte-Rôtie 2016

Provenance

The late David Brice was a respected wine connoisseur, collector and co-founder of Wine Cellar, fine wine merchants. His lifelong passion for wine from all corners of the world wine, and generosity, helped develop a culture of fine wine in South Africa and beyond. Always with value and authenticity in mind, the collection spans a wide range of styles from leading producers and diverse regions. The wines were professionally imported under refrigeration and carefully stored at Wine Cellar thereafter. Many of the producers are not available in South Africa and provide an excellent buying opportunity.

David celebrated the variation of vintage but also took advantage of great vintages. Over the last 10 years the 2016s have proven to be one of the greatest modern-day Bordeaux vintages, on par or superior to the likes of 2010, 2009 or 2005. Across Bordeaux, the wines are structured and pure combining exotic notes and sweet fruit. As part of our annual 10-year auction, we showcase 2016 Bordeaux vintage which will delight over many decades, especially in large format. David also bought the highly regarded Italian vintage, which produced exceptional wines in Piedmont and Tuscany especially.

For more detailed information on the lots, please feel free to contact Roland Peens (roland@winecellar.co.za). Roland spent many years sharing and enjoying these wines with David Brice and is happy to provide further insight into the collection.

Critics Ratings

'Much the same as the Équivoque, the 2016 Côte Rôtie is very clean and very pure with a little reduction still stunting the nose. It opens up with air, but the extreme finesse to this wine makes it hard to penetrate. There is excellent energy and the proportions are perfectly balanced. Perhaps - along with the Équivoque - this is just shut down for now.' - Tom Parker MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17+/20 (Sep 2022)

'Deep, lurid purple. Assertive, highly perfumed aromas of fresh blackberry, cherry, Moroccan spices and violet pick up olive and licorice nuances with air. Juicy, energetic and appealingly sweet, offering palate-staining red/blue fruit preserve, spicecake and violet pastille flavors that become deeper as the wine opens up. The floral and mineral notes repeat with gusto on an impressively long, focused finish that features youthfully firm tannins and a touch of bitter chocolate.' - Josh Reynolds, Vinous, 96/100 (Sep 2019)

'Jamet's 2016 Cote Rotie is already open and velvety, showing some meaty notes. It's full-bodied, supple and silky, without the bold fruit, raciness and drive of the best years, yet it still delivers plenty of pleasure, from the cassis and blueberry fruit to the savory notes of black olive and espresso and hints of licorice on the long finish.' - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, 94/100 (Dec 2019)