Jean-Paul Jamet said '2019 gave wines in the style that I like to make'. A step up from the 2018 vintage, the 2019 is more vibrant and intense. A blend of 25 parcels, amounting to 17ha, almost exclusively on schist soils. No destemming. A tasting of nine different barrels across a variety of lieux-dits suggest that the 2019 Côte-Rôtie is very special indeed. This is vibrant and intense, but not as sunny as the 2018 in style - sugars and phenolics progressed at the same gradual rate in 2019, making for a more harmonious and balanced wine. You feel the hot vintage in the wine, but it's represented more as power and intensity than hot alcohol. Vivid and highly impressive.

(95-98 points) Schedule to be bottled shortly after my visit, the 2019 Côte Rôtie has gorgeous, floral nuances that give way to more peppery, meaty, gamey notes that are the hallmark of this wonderful estate. Medium to full-bodied, it has considerable elegance and finesse on the palate (Jean-Paul compares this to his 2001 and 2007), silky tannins, and a beautiful finish. It’s going to have some up-front appeal as well as a broad drink window.

Dark violet color. Powerful, spice- and mineral-tinged black and blue fruits, incense, violet and smoked meat on the expansive nose. Rich yet surprisingly energetic, offering palate-staining blueberry, cherry-cola, floral pastille and licorice flavors that become sweeter as the wine opens up. Shows excellent energy and spicy thrust on the clinging finish, which is given shape by dusty, slow-building tannins. -- Josh Raynolds