2021 Bernard Levet "Les Journaries" Cote Rotie

Avert your eyes. You do not want this wine, you do not want this wine. Bernard Levet is best compared to the legendary Auguste Clape in Cornas. Clape and Levet are the two producers who I have consistently found to embody the smokiest wines of the Northern Rhône. Levet's wines are a whirling maelstrom of cigar ash and incense, especially with age. Less than 200 cases arrive to the American market each year, and allocations are typically less than 12 bottles for even the best Michelin restaurants, leaving precious little to go around. While the Chavaroche is considered the estate's top wine, the Journaries is sourced from La Landonne, a vineyard source that you may recognize from Guigal or Rene Rostaing, whose bottlings go for 2-4x this price. The wines below are bottled with light fining and no filtration. The cooler 2021 vintage is perfect for both collecting and drinking now since the slightly cooler weather tones down the normally intense fruit and adds a fresher touch, and yet still tremendously age-worthy. With age, there is hardly a better example of Côte-Rôtie terroir, and if you can manage to hold on to them to get to 10+ years of age, this will be one of the greatest Syrah experiences you can imagine. - BRANDON KERNE, MASTER SOMMELIER

96-98 Points from Josh Raynolds of Vinous: "Displays potent, mineral-accented dark berry preserve, olive paste and incense aromas that are complemented by floral oil, pipe tobacco and exotic spice flourishes. Chewy, densely packed and sharply focused on the palate, offering intense, spice-laced blackberry, blueberry, bitter cherry, violet pastille and smoky bacon flavors that turn livelier with air. Closes on an emphatic mineral note, with solid thrust, gripping tannins and superb, floral-tinged persistence."