A few years ago, René Rostaing wrote us out of the blue, offering some special and very rare bottles. They had come from one of his old customers: a Michelin 2-star restaurant that was in the midst of closing. The bottles were 1971 Dervieux-Thaize Côte Rôtie La Viaillère that the restaurant had bought from René's father-in-law, Albert Dervieux. According to René, the bottles hadn't moved for 40 years.

Rene knows his Côte Rôtie, and he compared the wine to an exciting bottle of 1947 Dervieux he'd drunk a few months earlier. He says you can really smell the Cote Rotie "rocks" in the wine.

We've had the privilege to drink a few bottles of this 1971 over the years and it has stood the test of time well.