2009 Jasmin Côte-Rôtie

Domaine Jasmin is a 13-acre estate in the Cote-Rotie in the Northern Rhone Valley, France. It is owned and operated by Patrick Jasmin and his wife Arlette. Patrick is the fourth generation to make wine on the land. The vineyards are planted to 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. Patrick Jasmine, who besides tending the family wine business is an avid automobile racer, took over the estate after the untimely death of his father a decade ago. He and his wife tend to the vineyards themselves and they produce 2,400 cases of wine annually. Robert M. Parker Jr. has complimented the estate’s wines for their “elegant” style combing “low acidity combined with sweet, ripe, cherry, raspberry, and currant fruit intermixed with mineral and floral notes…” The estate’s signature Cote Rotie is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier.

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.