From: Northern Rhone, France
Varietal: Syrah
Taste: The nose expresses fine aromas of blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry, and kirsch, alongside hints of green olive, violet, and flint. The wine opens tenderly on the palate, revealing a beautiful density of black fruits, earth, pepper, and leather, wound around a mineral core. The fruit is well-integrated with the wine’s delicate tannins, and the wine finishes with distinct freshness and bold precision.
Pairing: This wine would pair well with a variety of grilled meats and poultry. You can lean into heartier meat or vegetable dishes flavored Mediterranean spices, including basil, bay leaf, black pepper, cloves, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, garlic, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, paprika, rosemary, saffron, sage, savory, sumac, tarragon, thyme, and turmeric. We love za’atar, the Middle Eastern spice mix that can be used on zucchini, eggplant, lamb, and more. For today’s pairing, we’re sharing Christine Benlafquih’s recipe for Moroccan Kefta Kebab.
About. The Jasmin family, originally from the Champagne region, got their start in Côte Rôtie not on the steep hillsides, but in the kitchen of Château d’Ampuis. Alexandre Jasmin moved his family to the area when the position of Chef was offered to him. At the time, Ampuis was already known as the heart of Côte Rôtie and Alexandre did not want to miss out on his chance to be part of the local culture. When the opportunity to purchase the vineyard adjacent to the Château d’Ampuis he jumped at it.
Four generations later, Alexandre’s great-grandson, Patrick, continues the family’s winemaking tradition. Patrick’s father, Robert, is identified as being the one who raised the domaine’s level of quality to new heights before his untimely death in 1999. Today, the 40-something year old Patrick maintains this level of quality and signature finesse of the Jasmin familly’s wines. The only thing that Patrick does differently from his father and grandfather is to de-stem the Syrah (and the special Serine clone of Syrah found in some of his vineyards) before it goes into the fermentation tank. Everything in the steep vineyards and the cellar is done by hand, and aging is in mostly neutral barrels of various sizes.
The Jasmin wines also continue to be counted among the handful of wines that most faithfully capture Côte Rôtie’s unique character. They are, in John Livingstone- Learmonth’s words, “the bridge between Burgundy and the Rhône.”
The 2022 Patrick Jasmine Collines Rhodaniennes Rouge ‘La Chevalière’ comes from a 0.3 hectare plot of vines planted in 1995 in a lieu-dit called “La Chevalière,” located in the sandy plains below the terraces of Côte Rôtie. Though the wine is classified as IGP de Collines Rhodaniennes, it is often described as a ‘mini’ Côte Rôtie. Unfined and unfiltered.
