TN: Northern Rhone Dinner (88 Jamet, 98 Jamet Cote Brune, 99 Sorrel, 83 Grippat, Ledru, Agrapart)

WINE TALK
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Notes from a recent Northern Rhone theme dinner:

2014 Marie-Noëlle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Goulté Blanc de Noirs Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (12/4/2021)
Bright and citrusy on the nose with lovely complexity and lots of minerals. Great acidity on the palate with freshness and lemon flavors, but there’s good weight, so it’s not just high acid and lightness. Long finish. This was excellent and while very young, it felt quite approachable. (95 pts.)


2002 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Vénus - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (12/4/2021)
Quite the contrast compared to the 2014 Ledru Goulte next to it. This feels quite a bit richer with more brioche leaning flavors and a lemon / lemon oil note. Very lovely nose and obviously more mature than the Ledru. The palate has good acidity and weight with more toast / brioche notes, some chamomile, and a good amount of lemon. Long finish. This wine felt more serious than the Ledru and definitely more weighty, but I feel that the Ledru was giving me a bit more pleasure and appeal. (94 pts.)


1988 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (12/4/2021)
Absolutely gorgeous nose! Very nuanced and continuously changing and evolving in the glass, it had notes of red fruit, olives, brine, and dried flowers. There is still a good tannic structure on the palate with nice acidity and notes of tart cherries, red fruit, and a bit more brine. The finish lasts forever. What a pleasure to drink right now, I feel we caught this at the very peak. We drank this next to the 1998 Cote Brune and the 88 took the lead by a hair. (98 pts.)


1998 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (12/4/2021)
Tasted next to the 1988 Cote-Rotie. This is a massive wine and much darker toned than the 88. Dark fruit, olives, and meat are beautifully intertwined on the nose along with a lovely pine needle note. The palate has more of the same flavors and good acidity and is well balanced with a good amount of grippy tannins. Very long finish. Just outstanding and captivating and while it was drinking beautifully it will probably continue to improve over time. Maybe a tiny step behind the 88 today, but I think it will surpass that wine in 5-10 years. 97+ (97 pts.)


1999 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Le Gréal - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (12/4/2021)
Fruit driven nose with dark cherries, savory notes, and a bit of a leather note. The tannins were surprisingly refined and soft with more cherry notes and black olives on the palate. Nice finish. Overall, a lovely wine and drinking very well, although I’m not sure how much longer I would keep this; I’d rather enjoy the fruit now than risking for it to fade, because that’s what’s carrying the wine. (94 pts.)


1983 Grippat St. Joseph Vignes de L’Hospice - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (12/4/2021)
The nose is surprisingly ripe with red fruit, tart cherries, and some herbal notes as well as a slightly pruney character. The palate feels a bit tarter with medium+ acidity, red fruit, strawberries, and blood orange notes. Good finish. I opened this on a whim after tasting Jamet’s 88 Cote-Rotie and 98 Cote Brune and it may have suffered a bit from being poured after these wines and not giving it any air; still, it was a lovely experience and I felt the wine improved with time in the glass. (93 pts.)


1994 Louis Jadot Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru (12/4/2021)
Unfortunately this was some of the world’s most expensive vinegar. Never experience a nose so repulsive and acetone heavy, what a bummer. NR (flawed)


We also had a lovely 1989 Château de Fargues to finish the meal but it was too late into the night to take any meaningful notes :slight_smile:

5 Likes
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Ahhh…these are right up my alley. I even have a few of these producers. Actually have the '99 Brune I hand carried back after a domaine visit. I had the '91 Jamet CR about 7 yrs ago. Hauntingly delicious! Sorry about the Musigny-sucks! Thanks for posting.

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Sounds like a great dinner.
I know all 2 Jamets and the Sorrel well, really great liquids …
(although I wonder how much the 88 Cote brune would score …? … and I prefer 97 Jamet to 98 …)

In another thread someone wrote:
“there is very little great cote-rotie, let alone very good cotie-rotie. same with hermitage.”

Well, this should prove the oposite!
[cheers.gif]

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What a great dinner! Nicely done.

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Have you had the regular 98? Wonder how the Brune compares. The regular is on the rustic side for me.

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I’ve had it a few times, although the last time was almost 2 years ago. I would say they are similar in quality, but the “regular” 98 is quite a bit lighter and less structured. I wouldn’t call it rustic, though. The Cote Brune is definitely a bigger and more robust wine.

Would be really fun to do same year Cote-Rotie vs Cote Brune side-by-side :slight_smile:

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I previously sampled the regular '98 at the dinner where Charlie came up to visit. I think both have a similar feral quality, but there is so much extra fruit weight and density to the '98 Brune that it pushes the feral quality into the background, creating a more refined / balanced impression. What was very clear with the '98 Brune is that this density gives it a really high ceiling, with lots of potential left to realize. I think we were all agreed that it has a good chance of surpassing the level of the '88 in another 10 years

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FWIW I thought the Ledru the more “serious” of the two champagnes: it was vinous (lol) with an impressive amount of concentration and extract, the sort of wine you drink while concentrating with your brows knitted together. The Agrapart Venus was much easier to like with that very mature honeyed BdB character. I wonder if I’ll ever get a chance to buy an Agrapart that old again

Also here’s my note on the '88, which is my new WOTY and likely my best-ever Envoyer buy in IRR terms:

1988 Jamet Cote Rotie
There is an unassuming quality to this; it quietly draws you into its own little world of scent; you can pick out individual notes if you’ve a mind to - it is at turns leafy, olivey, meaty, fruity - but all the scents combine into a peacock’s tail of such beauty and sheer rightness that the effort seems besides the point; the palate impression is spherical, a seamless extension of the harmony you experience from the bouquet; it makes no sense to talk about the mouthfeel or the length of the finish, because it is all of a piece, all one thing; interestingly, this (very high) peak was only sustained for about 3-4 hours after the wine was gently double decanted - it fell off somewhat towards the end of the evening - and I would be careful not to give bottles too much air; still, this is unquestionably my WOTY; excellent

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This is awesome. The 98 Jamet is a stud in the making. The 88 sounds spectacular as well.

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What is the pricing (pristine bottles, labels) on the 1988 currently?

Availability offered (qty)?

Your estimate as to how long will this last at this approximate quality?

Thanks!

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I remember you buying it!

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Coincidentally Benchmark had one bottle of the '88 show up today at $900. It disappeared fast (wasn’t me lol, and not for lack of trying). My guess is the '88 has got years left on the plateau, but more like 3-5 not 10

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$900?! Damnnn!

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What do you have against acetone vinegar? It’s an alternative style based on alternative facts.

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I guess you mean Cote brune 88?
Yes, I’ ve got some …

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Omg can I be your friend [cheers.gif]

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Yes, Gerhard, omitted the “Brune”.

Thanks!