2017 - Domaine Jamet, Cote Rotie

Inky, bright-rimmed ruby. Sexy, mineral-accented aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, candied flowers, olive paste and exotic spices show outstanding clarity and lift. Sweet, pliant and energetic on the palate, offering deeply concentrated raspberry, cherry, cassis and floral pastille flavors that show surprising energy for their heft. A smoky mineral nuance drives the extremely long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves behind a sexy floral note. All whole clusters.

Starting with the two 2017s, these are both brilliant, brilliant wines. The base 2017 Côte Rôtie reminds me of the 1991 and is a massive, deep, totally thrilling wine that does everything right. A huge nose of black fruits, olive tapenade, smoked meats, pepper, and graphite all emerge from this full-bodied, powerful, muscular wine from this estate. Jean-Paul commented that it was almost too much of a good thing (he thought the same about the 1991 on release as well) but trust me, this is liquid gold. Full-bodied, structured and tannic, it’s going to need a decade of cellaring to shed some baby fat but is a legendary wine in the making.