Component #1, mostly from 12-year-old vines in Chavaroche: Medium ruby. Musky aromas of black raspberry, coffee grounds, pepper, bacon fat and gunflint. Juicy and peppery, but with modest flesh and depth. #2 (mostly Fontgent): More saturated medium ruby. Riper but inexpressive aromas of chicory, animal fur, mocha and pepper. Denser in the mouth; reasonably fresh yet lacks treble notes. A sample of the same juice from a younger barrique showed more vivacity, with the tannins of the wood giving the wine fresher aromas and firmer shape. #3 (Chavaroche and Moutonne): Bright deep ruby. Aromatic, perfumed aromas of black raspberry, hickory smoke, black licorice and game. Sweet, chewy and bright; a step up in intensity. Perhaps not as dense as the #2, but more expressive today. Strong, palate-staining finish belies the wine high pH. #4 (from browner soils): Bright ruby-purple color. Spicy aromas of black cherry, chocolate, mocha and iron. Dense and dark chocolatey in the mouth, with less fruity high tones than #3. Finishes with big, chewy tannins. This lot will provide much of the structural underpinning of the blend. #5 (Mornachon and Landonne; mostly in barriques since the outset): Full ruby. Rich, briary, Morey-Saint-Denis-like aromas of musky black fruits, bitter chocolate and game. Very closed on entry, but intensely flavored, rich and peppery; dense but sharply delineated. The most complex of these components today. Also the longest on the aftertaste, with the substantial tannins reaching the front teeth. A hypothetical blend of the five components in roughly equal proportion: Bright dark ruby. Very complex and aromatic nose of black raspberry, black cherry, woodsmoke, roast coffee, bitter chocolate and animal fur. Dense, highly concentrated and nuanced, with notes of game, leather and fresh blood. Cote-Rotie in all its rustic glory, which is to say that this wine is downright suave, even elegant. Finishes with firm tannins and terrific lift. Should make a great bottle. The finished wine will be no more than about 13% alcohol, notes Jamet.
January 2001