2013 Domaine Jamet, Cote-Rotie, Rhone Red, France.
This wine was so beautiful and delicately layered I guessed it was pinot (Burgundy) in a blind tasting! Thank you to winemaker Sam Smith for that embarrassment and for his amazing kindness during harvest for sharing this with our tasting group, especially after processing 600 Tons of grapes this vintage for Morgan Winery here in Monterey, as well as doing tiny lots of his own wines. The 2013 Domaine Jamet, from old vine parcels in the the lieux-dits of Chavaroche, Fongeant, Côte-Baudin, Moutonnes, Landonne, Côte Rozier, Truchet, Bonnivières, Leyat, Le Plomb, Rochains, Lézardes, Tartaras, and La Gerine in the Cote Brune on the Schist soils that make for such expressive and age-worthy Syrah. Interesting Jean-Paul Jamet, now the sole owner after splitting the family holdings in half after the 2010 harvest, continues to vilify each parcel separate and makes them individually before blending into the finished wine with some lots getting the favored whole clusters, but less than what I had believed, close to 65-75%, unlike Bernard Levet, an old school Cote-Rotie producer I love that always goes the Full Monty on whole cluster and stems. Jamet, also ferments in stainless, everything is clear and precise and done with gravity flow with native yeasts and Jean-Paul rests (ages) the Syrah in barrels, using various sizes, for up to two years, mostly between 18 to 22 months, please note that in some cases he ages lots all in stainless too. The unfiltered and unfined Cote-Rotie 2013 is gorgeous and lingers on forever with exceptional class and grace, it’s an amazing wine and highlights purity and elegance with subtle underlying power and depth, it’s a thrill from start to finish, reminding me of Musigny and or Bonner Mares, hence my blind tasting fail! Beautiful faint violets, sweet smoky notes, brilliant mineral essences (flinty/iron) along with black, blue and red fruits lead the way with a fine dusting of mixed spices and spring herbs as well as a touch of game and savory/stones in this medium bodied beauty. Layers of black cherry, plum, currant, marionberry and black raspberry form the fruit core along with salty black licorice, embers, ultra fine cracked pepper and a touch of vanilla from the oak cask, some of which are new Burgundy 228L barrique as well as the bigger and more neutral Demi Muids. Everything is folded together in near perfection, this a gorgeous Syrah, I’m so grateful to have experienced such a gift of a wine, no wonder the world over get enough of this great Cote-Rotie!
($120+ Est.) 94+ Points, grapelive

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