Like a muscular athlete who takes ballet to improve his agility, Côte-Rôtie Syrah is the most graceful of the world’s Syrahs—floral, tensile, and regal in its bearing. On the whole, this steeply pitched hill of granite and schist along the Rhône River is one of the more rarefied wine addresses on earth, and the Jamets are its ‘first family.’ Having meticulously assembled an enviable—some would say unrivaled—assortment of vineyards throughout the appellation, Domaine Jamet is the ultimate in collectible, ageworthy Syrah.
Today we’re offering one of the first bottlings from a “new” Jamet venture—a 2014 Syrah from Jean-Luc Jamet, one of the two brothers who ran Domaine Jamet together for more than 20 years. Having divvied up the family’s holdings with his brother, Jean-Paul (who now runs Domaine Jamet with his wife, Corinne, and their son, Loïc), Jean-Luc has gone his own way without actually going anywhere: The vineyard source for this wine is an old family plot situated near their homes and winery, and the brothers created two wineries from one with a well-placed concrete wall. This is only the second vintage of this (very rare) wine, and it hasn’t been available in the US—so imagine my joy when we managed to get some imported! Jean-Luc Jamet’s 2014 “Valine” is an exciting new find, delivering Côte-Rôtie quality at a Côtes-du-Rhône price.
Jean-Luc’s 2014 “Valine” is a deep purple-ruby in the glass, with a highly perfumed nose of black and red raspberry, black currant, lavender, dried herbs, meat jus, tar, and black pepper. It is textbook Côte-Rôtie Syrah, dark-hued and gamy, with brisk acid and firm tannins that require a rough decanting if you’re enjoying the wine now. Medium-plus in body, it’s got the classic Côte-Rôtie mix of bright, fragrant, ‘purple’ fruit and a more brooding, dark, bacon-fat savor. I think it will age for a decade with ease, but if you’re enjoying it now, decant it a good hour before serving in large Burgundy stems. This is such a mouth-watering wine for food, built to take on fatty cuts of roasted meat. It would be amazing with smoky, non-spicy barbecue—it’s the furthest thing from traditional, but try it out with the attached recipe for baby back ribs. I don’t know when (or if) we’re going to see this wine again, but let’s hope so!