Still resting in barrels, the 2020 Côte Rôtie is a ripe, sexy beast of a Côte Rôtie, and Jean-Paul commented that he preferred the more classic style of the 2019. Don't let that scare you away, as this is a thrilling Côte Rôtie in the making. All of the samples exhibited a healthy purple color, intense aromatics, remarkable purity, and a more medium to full-bodied profile. This ripe, powerful vintage is going to require at least 7-8 years to shed some baby fat (and you'll be excused for drinking a bottle in its youth) but should still evolve for 20+ years. I suspect the 2019 might be longer lived due to its more structured profile, but it's going to be a treat following these vintages over the coming decades.

Opaque ruby. Vibrant blackberry, cherry, incense, Moroccan spice, potpourri and smoky mineral qualities on the expansive, seductively perfumed nose. Offers vibrant black and blue fruit, spicecake, olive and floral pastille flavors that show bright detail and energetic mineral lift. The floral and spice notes recur strongly on the youthfully gripping finish, which features mounting tannins and lingering smokiness.

I have scribbles on seven different components of the 2020 Cote Rotie in my notebook, and that is just a fraction of what lies resting in the deep Jamet cellar. To generalize and predict what wizardry Jean-Paul Jamet will conjure out of bottle is a bit of a fool's errand, but overall, I found the 2020 samples to show ripe, dark-fruit flavors balanced by graceful aromatics. Generally, the wines are medium to full-bodied, with supple, silky tannins and good freshness.

Cask samples tasted at the domaine. Sample 1: 2 parcels of young vines in the St-Cyr area. Lively and expressive with violet notes to the fore. Lots of energy and freshness but less density of fruit. Sample 2: Le Truchet and Bonnivières . A slow-burning component. Dark fruit and cassis but discreet. Good density, the fruit very pure. Sample 3: Collet, Côte Blonde, Chavaroche, Fongeant and Les Moutonnes . Juicy and fresh with impressive length on the palate. Violet notes prevail. A sort of pre-blend which already exudes harmony. Sample 4: Gerine . Represents 15% of the final blend. Bright and fresh on the nose with floral, herbal notes. Ripe, dense and powerful on the palate with an impressive depth of fruit. Super-length – just goes on and on. Sample 5: Le Plomb. Dark and subdued, even heavy, with an enormous tannic frame. (JL)