October 4, 2024
Rare Allocation: Jamet Cote-Rotie 2018
"Is this a remake of 1999? It has more upfront charm than the Côte Brune, but as with all great vintages of Jamet, 5-7 years of bottle age are rewarded"
- Jeb Dunnuck
"Domaine Jamet's Côte-Rôtie is a benchmark for the appellation, known for its elegance, complexity, and ageing potential" - Jeb Dunnuck
Domaine Jamet, a name synonymous with exceptional Côte-Rôtie wines, traces its roots back to 1950 when Joseph Jamet founded the estate. Located in the Northern Rhône, this family-run winery has grown in stature and reputation over the decades. The baton was passed to Joseph's sons, Jean-Paul and Jean-Luc, who significantly elevated the estate's status on the global wine stage. After the brothers parted ways in 2013, Jean-Paul took the helm of the highly esteemed estate with his wife. Today, Jean-Paul's son, Loïc, is also involved, continuing the family's winemaking legacy.
Domaine Jamet Côte Rôtie is renowned for its unique terroir, benefiting from steep, terraced vineyards that face south and southeast, capturing optimal sunlight. The soils, composed of schist, granite, and mica, impart a distinctive minerality to the wines. Jean-Paul Jamet, along with his family, meticulously cultivates these vineyards, ensuring that the wines express the complexity and elegance typical of Côte-Rôtie. The 2018 vintage, benefiting from a hot, dry growing season with early rains, showcases freshness, polished tannins, and moderate acidity, with a deep, dark fruit profile. The 2018's are known for their richness without excessive weight, these wines exemplify the best of the Northern Rhône.
The 2018 Côte Rôtie from Jamet was vinified with varying degrees of destemming and aged mostly in demi-muids, with 15-30% new oak, before being bottled unfined and unfiltered after two years. This wine epitomises classic Côte-Rôtie with incredible aromatics, concentrated structure, and the potential to age gracefully for 25-30 years. Leading Rhône aficionado Jeb Dunnuck notes the wine's "inky colours, beautiful purity of fruit, classic Jamet style and complexity, and building tannins".
Jamet Cote-Rotie 2018
95-97 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
I was able to taste numerous barrel samples of the 2018 Côte Rôtie, all rating between 95 and 99 points, which is a good sign! Most barrels were not destemmed and all the samples displayed inky colors, beautiful purity of fruit, classic Jamet style and complexity, and building tannins. Is this a remake of 1999? It has more upfront charm than the Côte Brune, but as with all great vintages of Jamet, 5-7 years of bottle age are rewarded.
95-96 Points | Vinous
Precise aromas of dark berry preserves, pungent flowers, pipe tobacco and smoky minerals; allspice and succulent herb nuances build in the glass. Broad, alluringly sweet and youthfully chewy, offering intense blackberry, cherry preserve, fruitcake and bitter chocolate flavors and a sexy candied violet flourish. Shows a compelling interplay of power and energy and finishes youthfully tannic and strikingly long, with lingering floral and mineral notes.