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Bernard Levet, Côte-Rôtie, Les Journaries

Northern Rhône, France 2008 (750mL)
$60.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Bernard Levet, Côte-Rôtie, Les Journaries

The last few years have brought an explosion in the popularity of Northern Rhône wines, especially for cult producers like Jamet (Côte-Rôtie) and Allemand (Cornas). Prices have skyrocketed while availability has evaporated, and today there are very few truly great, small producers whose wines are still available for a reasonable price.
This wine is a rare treasure from one of my favorite and relatively undiscovered families in Côte-Rôtie. Sommeliers and collectors are just starting to realize how incredible Bernard Levet’s wines are. Only 125 cases of this wine arrive on our shores each year and this 2008 is peaking in its evolution right now.
Bernard Levet farms 3.5 hectares of vines above the village of Ampuis. He owns vines in some of the most prestigious real estate in the Côte-Rôtie appellation, including the famed parcels of La Moulin and La Landonne. These properties have been in the family since the 1930's and today they are still farmed in exactly the same manner: no tractors, no chemicals, and everything is done by hand. This particular bottling, Les Journaries, is produced from a few different parcels, but mainly from old vines within the Côte Brune area of the hill, and especially the lieu-dit of La Landonne. (You might be familiar with this vineyard site because it has been made famous by E. Guigal, whose La Landonne bottling of the same vintage can fetch $600+.)   

Following the the harvest, fruit is left in whole clusters before fermentation in large tanks. The process of macerating the grapes and carrying the juice through alcoholic and malolactic fermentation is slow, and is not often completed until the new year. Ultimately, the wine is aged in medium-sized “demi-muid” barrels for three years before bottling and further aging until release—the entire process generally takes 4 years. This gradual, delicate approach in the cellar produces wines that are incredibly nuanced, aromatic, and perfect for extended aging. 

The 2008 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Les Journaries is perfectly mature right now. The wine has a translucent crimson center which stays consistent in depth and color to the rim. Aromas of turkish coffee, black olive, wild thyme, lavender, violets, tobacco and grilled meat are are a heaven of savory aromas. The palate is medium to bodied, with a pronounced refreshing, angular quality that I love. This wine needs some air to reach its full potential so I encourage you to decant the wine for one hour before serving in a large Bordeaux stem at just over cellar temperature. Aged Côte-Rôtie and lamb is one of life’s great pleasures. This braised lamb shank dish is absolutely perfect.

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Country
France
Region
Northern Rhône
Sub-Region
FranceCôte-Rôtie
Soil
Granite/Iron
Farming
Organic
Blend
Syrah
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
Neutral Large Barrels

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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