Professional Reviews
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson
Wine Spectator
Details
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Grape Variety
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Vintage
1998
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Size
750ml
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Farming Practice
Sustainable
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Sweetness
Dry
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Body
Medium Bodied
Flatiron Wines & Spirits NY
Domaine Jamet is a reference point in Côte-Rôtie. Their holdings read like a “who’s who” of top vineyard sites in the AOC, including names like Fongeant, Chavaroche, Les Moutonnes, La Landonne, Côte Blonde, Côte Rozier, and Côte Brune. Like Chave in Hermitage, he generally likes to blend all all the sites together to present a wine that is a truly complete Côte-Rôtie, taking advantage of all that the different terroirs have to offer. (He does reserve a tiny number of berries for a separate Côte Brune bottling that is rarely seen.)
This practice of blending vineyard sites is an old tradition in the Northern Rhone, consistent with Jamet’s general approach in the winery. His Côte-Rôtie is almost all whole cluster. He uses no barriques, opting instead for the larger demi-muids. The other big names who made wines like this in Côte-Rôtie have either retired (Gentaz) or changed course (Guigal). Jamet — specifically Jean-Paul Jamet, who’s been at it since he was a 16 year old boy in 1976 — has stuck it out.
RP
92
"The 1998 Cote Rotie exhibits a deep, opaque plum/garnet color, and a smoky, fried meat, blackberry/cassis-scented bouquet with notions of earth and licorice. A classically proportioned effort, with full body, superb ripeness, high tannin, and layers of concentration and extract, this is not a Cote Rotie for those unable to defer their gratification. It needs time in the bottle." -Robert Parker
JR
18
"Another magnum from the Troisgros cellar and a lovely wine by any measure. Much paler than the Jamet 1999: mid ruby. Very sweet, broad, fresh and bright. The (doubtless considerable) alcohol was not too obvious. Well done! Very rich and round. Nice now. Fresh finish. Quite earthy."
WS
93
"Beautiful round, smooth, rich and seductive Côte-Rôtie. Distinctively meaty (with a grilled steak aroma) and floral, black currant and blackberry notes. Full-bodied, with a long and vibrant finish."