In 1998, Lauren Hill was Doo Wooping, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.3%, the Bellagio hotel opened, and the Yankees swept the Padres in the World Series. It was a good year, and shaping-up to be an epic one in Burgundy until September brought cold and wet weather. When the wines were released they were pinned as "austere" and "tight," more "Bordeaux-like," then Burgundy, but with the guidance of time, they have found their place. Now regarded as a very good vintage, there's undiscovered gems, like this Roty Marsannay, which offer plenty of pleasure for those seeking wines with the wonderful quirks of age.  

The late Joseph Roty is a Burgundy enigma. Notorioulsy private, he proudly eschewed guests, including the press, from tasting at his estate. The family has been making wine since the time of Louis XIV, an astounding eleven generations, but it was Joseph who developed the cult "Roty style." The wines are eccentric as Joseph, himself, deeply colored, exuberant, and wildly fruity — the sheer opposite of what most people think of, when they think of red Burgundy (light, delicate, pale and pretty!) And it's exactly this defiant style that has made Domaine Joseph Roty one of the most sought-after Domaines in the world. Now, under the direction of the son, Philippe, the style has not wavered since Joseph's passing in 2008. So, here's the chance to drink the life of an extraordinary man, through the lens of a extraordinary vintage, and a not-so bad grape ;)