Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

I personnally think that Côte Rôtie is a marvellous appellation, that produces great Syrah wines. Sometime, a bit of viognier to add more complexity, to a rocky terroir that already help to create a complex wine.

I was in Ampuis at the end of November 2012 beginning of December, and had a great time there. Fun at Bistrot des Sereines, with manager Nathalie. Tasted a lot of Côte Rôtie while there.

So tonight, i opened a bottle of the 2008 Patrick Jasmin Côte Rôtie, a bottle I bought at the property. This wine, with it's rich cloudy medium red color, a superb nose of sweet grape, bitter red berries, rasberries, light roasted oaky vanillin, meat and light violet flowers. A very nice nose. The mouth have Medium power, but lot of definition with strong mineral flavors, meat, smoky cherries, light blackberries. Full of elegance, light grippy tannins, with a long aftertaste of minerals and blackcurrants. A strong wine from that vintage. Tn: 92.

A wine with lot of character.

Nic

Yumm, love Jasmin CR. Haven't had one in a while.

Sounds great. Wines for winter time!

I am surprised it showed so well Nic, but pleased for you that it did. I find Jasmin often takes a long time to come round. Some of the 1980s Jasmins are absolutely profound for current drinking.

Lucie and I have always enjoyed Cote Rotie in general and Jasmin in particular, but somehow I don't buy many these days. From my experience with Jasmin and 2008, I am not surprised that yours was good, Nic, even if it will deepen with further cellaring.

Ian, is Jasmin Cote Rotie even better at 30+ than at 20? I have not drunk a 30+ year old Jasmin CR.

I decanted it for 2-3 hours. I'm in the camp that Côte Rôtie is one of the rare wine that can be enjoyed young or old. At 7 years old, this 2008 was excellent, and will be probably better in 5-10 years. But the it is already very complex that it is not a crime to open now.

Nic

Stefan - I think this is a wine which needs at least 20 years, and can benefit from up to 30 years. In early 2012 MEK snagged a parcel of 1980s, 1981s, 1984s and 1986s. We have been drinking them with enormous pleasure over the last few years.

Some of these bottles did need drinking, most of them were thrilling examples of mature, tertiary Cote-Rotie, and some were utterly profound. The vintage that really came up trumps was 1984, which has captivating peat and bonfire notes, overlaid with herbs, spices and minerals. It is even better than the 1985, tried last year.

In 2012 MEK held a northern Rhone dinner with a very strong line up which included Chateau Grillet 2005 (a white), a triumvirate of a Noël Verset Cornas (1989/90/91), Clape Cornas 1991, HLC 1982, Jamet Cote-Rotie 1988 and Jasmin Cote-Rotie 1990 served out of magnum. The Jasmin was the WOTN. Here is the note:

"Gamey and earthy this wine displays a surreal symbiosis of floral femininity and masculine backbone. Intricately woven and kaleidoscopic, it has an ethereal levity and a pleasing tension with notes of Madagascar cocoa, wolframite, mysterious dark fruits, Mediterranean olives, wet fox, iodine and black and white pepper. This is perhaps the quintessential expression of northern rhone and the syrah grape. It was deservedly the wine of the night."

Cote Rotie is a love here. Jasmin, though to me, is middling. Jamet I enjoy far better, but glad you like it.

Thanks, Ian.

I'll have a last glass tonight, the leftover in the fridge since last night. The wine was having good acidity.

Something very niçe about Côte-Rôtie is that I never had a "heavy" one. That parcel is always very elegant, but full of character at the same time. i notice also that I'm low for that type of wine in the cellar, so I will purchase some in the next weeks.

Nic

Hey Nic. I have a few old school Cote Rotie saved when you visit in February.

Looking forward that visit at RDD, in North Carolina. Old school Côte-Rôtie, we will have to pace ourself!

That last glass top day was more light, but still very good.

Simone is back to school in grade 1 tomorrow, Julien is starting nursery, and Béatrice back to kindergarden. Summer passer quickly, especially that summer was really poor, cloudy, could this year.

Nic

I'll take Jamet over Jasmin. Like Ogier too. But wouldn't turn my nose up at Jasmin.

I would take Jamet over Jasmin in the 1990s, but I haven't tasted anything better than Jasmin in the 1980s in traditional Cote-Rotie. Gilles Barges and Rene Rostaing are also among my favourite producers.

I have a few bottles of 1988 Dervieux-Thaize Côte-Rôtie La Viallière stashed in the cold corner of the cellar.
Should be fine when Nic visits.
There's some 1991 Jamet in there somewhere too.