Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 2021
(Northern Rhone, France) - [DM 95] [VM 93] [JD 92]

About the Domaine:
Jean-Paul Jamet began his career in the vineyards of Côte Rôtie in 1976 at the age of 16, working with his father, Joseph, who bottled his first wine that year. With the 2016 vintage, Jean-Paul celebrated his 40th year growing and vinifying Côte Rôtie. His experience with his enviable collection of sixteen (soon to be nineteen) lieux-dits spread across the best sites of the appellation has given him deep knowledge of how to unlock the greatest expression of Côte Rôtie from its wide spectrum of terroirs. This savoir-faire makes Jamet the modern day master of the appellation.

The Domaine Jamet lies on a plateau, known as "Le Vallin", with a fabulous view where Mont Blanc and the Alps can be seen in good weather. Entering the storehouse, nature and simplicity seem to be the Jamet family's key words, focused on the artisanal nature of the place. This is where Jean-Paul, his wife Corinne and, more recently their elder son Loïc cultivate vines and wines with a passion.

About this Wine:
For this wine, Jean-Paul Jamet aims for more immediate pleasure from the fruit while preserving its ageing potential.

• Côte Rôtie is 90% whole-cluster, opposite of their IGP Syrah
• All parcels are vinified and aged separately, with no racking
• Aged 22 months in barrel, mostly demi-muid and some barrique, before blending
• Final blend includes sixteen lieux-dits farmed by the domaine: Gerine, Lesardes, Fongeant, Chavaroche, Côte Bodin, Bonnivières, Le Plomb, Le Truchet, Les Moutonnes, La Landonne, Côte Blonde, Côte Rozier, Leyat, Côte Brune, Tartaras, and Rochins

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"A tasting of component barrels for this wine made for an instructive view of the vintage. Certain sites show the lightness of the vintage, fresh and peppery. Others, such as Bonnivières and Tartaras, exhibited the rigid, austere tannins that are quite common in 2021. Few barrels had great concentration or generosity of fruit; this is a vintage about structure and minerality rather than concentration or fruit sweetness. I would be inclined to leave this for a substantial amount of time before broaching, around 2031, by which time it should show good complexity and terroir expression, and may well be worthy of a higher score. All whole-bunch fermented, and matured mostly in old demi-muids." (Oct 2022)

93 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2021 Côte-Rôtie fermented with roughly 90% whole-clusters. Fragrant raspberry jam, crushed violets, cedar and licorice rise up from the glass. Spicy undertones and stemmy gradations add more layers. Framed by velvety tannins and balanced by bright acidity, this is a finessed Jamet with plenty of energy. Albeit not as concentrated and deep as the 2020 or potentially the 2022, the elegant 2021 dazzles regardless." - Nicolas Greinacher (Mar 2024)

92 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Bottled in September, the 2021 Côte Rôtie reveals a healthy ruby hue to go with a beautiful and classic Jamet nose of ripe red and black fruits, peppery herbs, menthol, spring flowers, and subtle meaty nuances. Fermented with 90% whole clusters, it's medium-bodied, has a focused, elegant, seamless texture, and outstanding length. This delicate, seamless, perfumed Jamet will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolve gracefully over the following 10-15 years." (Mar 2024)