The 2015 Côte-Rôte from Domaine Jamet is utterly sublime. It has a beguilingly complex bouquet with the most pronounced garrigue-like scents, touches of Italian delicatessen and clove, all delivered with wonderful precision, black olive compote emerging with time. The palate is beautifully-defined with superb tension, very cohesive and crystalline, unerringly pure and silky so that the finish completely disguises its backbone. Brilliant.

Lurid violet color. Assertive blackberry, licorice pastille, smoky bacon and potpourri scents are complemented by a strong mineral overlay. Seamless and broad in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated black and blue fruit liqueur, cola and floral pastille flavors and a strong jolt of exotic spices. Finishes with repeating mineral, smoke and dark fruit character, with noticeable but well-knit tannins and superb tenacity.

Significantly more closed and muscular than it appeared from barrel, the 2015 Cote Rotie is a long-term proposition. It's not showing a lot of charm or elegance at this juncture, but it's massively rich and ripe, with plenty of weight on the palate, chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Like I wrote last year, it might start to drink well at age 10, although it might need even longer.

Cask sample. Subtle, integrated stemmy notes. Supple tannins, sweet oak, black cherry, rounded and long and just sublime. (RH)