Jean Paul & Jean Luc Jamet - Cote Rotie 2018 (1.5L)

By Matt Walls
Decanter, 50 mature Rhône wines tasted in October 2020 (10/5/2020)
(Domaine Jamet, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, Red) 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. (Drink between 2031-2040)  96 points

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.