Domaine Jamet, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2019
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Overview of the Wine
One look at the steeply perched, ancient terroirs of Northern Rhône’s Côte-Rôtie is enough to understand why farming them is a badge of honor, yet the Jamet family is fortunate enough to own 7 hectares among 20 of the appellation’s most superb parcels in 15 lieux-dits. Joseph Jamet started the domaine in 1950 with only a third of a hectare in the Côte Brune. Like many of his neighbors, his land had been planted to peach and apricot orchards, as they were easier to farm than the steep vineyard terraces of Côte-Rôtie. Over the years, however, Joseph began to acquire more vineyard parcels throughout the appellation, clearing and replanting several of them himself. Today, his son Jean-Paul and Jean-Paul’s wife, Corinne, run the domaine and have made vast improvements to the estate by instigating soil studies and installing gravity-fed systems into their winery.
Grapes/Blend
Syrah
Origin
Rhône, France
Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The assemblage, a key word for Jean-Paul, makes it possible to access the Côte Rôtie of the Domaine Jamet. The variety of terroirs, exposure and the age of the vines are complementary elements that combine their strengths. Produced from twenty parcels and essentially in whole bunches, the wine is subsequently kept in barrels for twenty-two months.
Schedule to be bottled shortly after my visit, the 2019 Côte Rôtie has gorgeous, floral nuances that give way to more peppery, meaty, gamey notes that are the hallmark of this wonderful estate. Medium to full-bodied, it has considerable elegance and finesse on the palate (Jean-Paul compares this to his 2001 and 2007), silky tannins, and a beautiful finish. It’s going to have some up-front appeal as well as a broad drink window.
Jean-Paul Jamet said '2019 gave wines in the style that I like to make'. A step up from the 2018 vintage, the 2019 is more vibrant and intense. A blend of 25 parcels, amounting to 17ha, almost exclusively on schist soils. No destemming. A tasting of nine different barrels across a variety of lieux-dits suggest that the 2019 Côte-Rôtie is very special indeed. This is vibrant and intense, but not as sunny as the 2018 in style - sugars and phenolics progressed at the same gradual rate in 2019, making for a more harmonious and balanced wine. You feel the hot vintage in the wine, but it's represented more as power and intensity than hot alcohol. Vivid and highly impressive.
I tasted the final blend of the 2019 Cote Rotie from tank, where it was awaiting bottling. It retains the essential elegance and complexity that typifies Jamet's Cote Rotie despite the warm summer; floral nuances combine with hints of wood ash and purple raspberries on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is velvety in texture and the flavors linger on the finish. It strikes me as being a touch less impressive than other recent vintages, but perhaps it will bounce back after bottling.
Product size: 750ml
