2022 Cotes du Rhone 'Equivoque'

Coming from serious terroirs around and inside of Côte Rôtie, the 2022 Côtes Du Rhône Equivoque is rich and textured, offering pepper, violets, and rose aromatics as well as plenty of blackberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated, it has beautiful structure and depth. Drink this outstanding Syrah over the coming 7-8 years. One of the benchmark estates for traditionally made Côte Rôtie, Domaine Jamet is today run by Jean-Paul Jamet alongside his son Loïc, with the support of Jean-Paul's wife Corinne and daughter Fanny. Located high above the appellation near the village of Le Vallin, the estate farms 25 parcels spread across 17 lieux-dits, with the majority of the holdings in the schist-dominated Côte Brune side of the appellation, including Chavaroche, Le Truchet, Les Moutonnes, Rochins, Fongeant, and La Landonne, as well as prime parcels in the Côte Blonde sector such as Lancement. Winemaking here is classic yet not dogmatic, with a strong preference for whole cluster fermentation with adjustments based on the vintage. The wines are aged primarily in older demi-muids, with 15-30% new oak, and are bottled unfined and unfiltered after about two years. While the flagship Côte Rôtie remains a blend of their numerous parcels, a small-production Côte Brune cuvée was introduced in 2015. While it would be easy to assume the Côte Brune bottling is a richer, more powerful wine, it is often a more perfumed, floral, and elegant expression compared to the classic cuvée. Jean-Paul has commented that while the recent vintages of 2018, 2019, and 2020 bordered on excessive in style, he was thrilled with the 2022s, which mark a return to more stylistically classic ripeness levels and balance.