Jean-Paul calls 2018 'a rich year' and describes it as 'magnificent'. 2018 mostly mirrored the warm, dry conditions of 2017, but vignerons were optimistic as they received welcome rains after the drought of 2017. There were a few incidents of mildew, which were easily managed. 2018 gave wines of power and precision – with the grunt of 2017 and energy of 2016.
Jamet says that warm vintages aren't a threat to Côte-Rôtie; illustrated when he poured two older wines from hot vintages for Wine Advocate's Joe Czerwinski. 'Both the 2009 and 1989 Côte Rôties were singing. The '89 he compared to the '18, calling it, 'fumé, lardé, épicé*'.' He concluded: 'I'm confident in hot vintages, because with time, the terroir emerges.'
2019 marks the fifth great consecutive vintage for the Northern Rhône. As with the previous few years, conditions were hot and dry. Some hail and frost were experienced, with negligible amounts of mildew. In his vintage report, Josh Raynolds from Vinous wrote, 'the wines look extremely promising and show an uncanny blend of depth and vivacity.'
* Smoky, meaty, spicy
