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 four 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 exactly where I want it to be. The wine has a translucent crimson center which stays consistent in depth and color until the rim, where slight orange and even chocolate tones are starting to emerge. Aromas of black cherry, black currant, turkish coffee, black olive, wild thyme, lavender, violets, tobacco and Merguez sausage, grilled meat leap out of the glass. The palate is medium bodied, with a pronounced angular structure and freshness that tells me this wine will enjoy many, many more years of maturing and improving in the bottle. The one point I want to stress VERY strongly, here, is that this bottle needs air. It is 8 years old, it’s drinking deliciously  but the first hour outside of the bottle will be wasted in your glass. So, please open the bottle 2-3 hours in advance of serving, or decant this bottle for 1 hour before serving at just above cellar temperature in large Bordeaux stems. Thereafter, this wine will delight for many hours and well into the following day. It’s a truly beautiful wine. Lamb and Syrah is one of the most classic pairings on earth, this pairing is a simple and classic approach.