2020 Now finished: SYRAH, Valine, Jean-Luc Jamet. Northern Rhône

Syrah

From their agent, Thorman Hunt:
“Jean-Luc Jamet worked for many years alongside his brother Jean-Paul, at the iconic family estate, Domaine Jamet. However in 2013 the brothers split the 16 hectare estate evenly, into two 8 hectare properties.
From the new beginning in 2013, Jean-Luc was not willing to buy second hand barrels and so all the barrels were new. This meant the early vintages were a little oaky but the latest vintages have great balance and are seriously impressive.
Generally 35% of the production is made with whole bunches, with the remaining 65% destemmed to emphasise the floral, elegant style and he only uses wild yeasts.
Today Jean-Luc and his wife Evelyne have been joined at the estate by their second son, Benoit, who supports in both the vineyards and the winery.
The vineyard holdings comprise 4.5 hectares of Côte-Rôtie, 2 hectares of Côtes-du-Rhône, and 1 hectare of Vin de Pays Syrah – planted on schist soils near the domaine at Le Vallin.”

This is powerful for a ‘light red’ but it has to be in this section of our list for its beautiful aromatics and delicate framework. A remarkable wine for the price.