Jamet Côte-Rôtie 2018

95-97 points Jeb Dunnuck: "I was able to taste numerous barrel samples of the 2018 Côte Rôtie, all rating between 95 and 99 points, which is a good sign! Most barrels were not destemmed and all the samples displayed inky colors, beautiful purity of fruit, classic Jamet style and complexity, and building tannins. Is this a remake of 1999? It has more upfront charm than the Côte Brune, but as with all great vintages of Jamet, 5-7 years of bottle age are rewarded. (12/12/19)"

96 points Matt Walls (Decanter): "Liqueur-fruited, incredibly dense and opulent. The alcohol is quite high and the fruit very dark, underscored by big, slightly blocky and tight tannins. Rich, warming and generous style; very much a solaire vintage. Drinking Window: 2031-2040. (Oct 2020)"

95-96 points Josh Raynolds (Vinous): "Precise aromas of dark berry preserves, pungent flowers, pipe tobacco and smoky minerals; allspice and succulent herb nuances build in the glass. Broad, alluringly sweet and youthfully chewy, offering intense blackberry, cherry preserve, fruitcake and bitter chocolate flavors and a sexy candied violet flourish. Shows a compelling interplay of power and energy and finishes youthfully tannic and strikingly long, with lingering floral and mineral notes. (May 2020)"

94-96 points Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate): "It's never easy to prognosticate how the final assemblage will turn out, but I tasted eight different lots of the 2018 Cote Rotie, the least of which I rated (92 - 94), with some as high as (95 - 97). Overall, the wines are very ripe (le Plomb clocks in at over 15% alcohol), with supple tannins but also adequate freshness. Together, the result should be a full-bodied, rich yet lively wine, with notes of violets, hickory smoke, black olives and cassis. Based on past experience, I'd expect this wine to look firmer out of bottle than it does presently, with two decades or more of cellaring possible. Drink: 2025-2040. (Dec 2019)"

****(*) John Livingstone Learmonth (The Cradle of The Rhône): "(100% Syrah from 5 hectares notably 0.7 ha on Lancement (1980-1995), 0.6 ha Bonnivières, Chavaroche (0.5 ha early 1980s & 0.3 ha early 2010s), 0.7 ha on Mornachon (1985), also Côte Baudin, La Landonne, Moutonnes (0.11 ha 1945, 0.4 ha early 1980s), Les Rochains, Fongeant, 65% destemmed, 21 day vinification, wild yeasts, twice daily pumping overs, 1 cap punching, aged 20-30% new, 70-80% 1-6 year 60-70% 300-litre, 15-20% 228-litre, 15-20% 500-litre oak casks 18-20 months (up from 10 months), fined, unfiltered, blends done June/July before bottling mid-August, 25,000-26,650 b). dark red; there are some sweet notes on the nose, raspberry, minting, firm raspberry, savoury tones and a little chalkiness, oak apparent. The palate has a clenched start, digs in deeply, the depth very thorough. It’s a peppered, mineral lined, spinal wine, goes straight to the target, droit au but, as they "say" in Marseille for L’OM. It extends and holds well, carries a notable iron tone. Snappy clarity here, both nose and palate, a genuine, of its place Rôtie. From 2026. 2045-47 Feb 2022."