1989 Jamet Côte-Rôtie

This is the sons’ bottling, not the Joseph. OK, if brett repels you, skip to the next. The Jamet is not super-bretty, but you can notice it manifesting itself in a leather and hide sort of way, rather than the fresh cowpies of a Beaucastel. We actually liked this, since it set off the deep meaty aromas and the big crushed-raspberry fruitiness. There’s a lot of smokiness and only the merest hint of stems. The flavors run wide and deep, not afraid to billow about after swallowing. If you got ’em, they’re drinking great right now.

SY (5/99)