Domaine Jasmin 2012 Cote Rotie "La Giroflarie" 750ml

Glistening violet. Smoke- and mineral-accented cherry and black raspberry scents are complemented by suggestions of tobacco, violet and cracked pepper. Silky in texture and lively on the palate, offering gently sweet dark berry, cherry compote and floral pastille flavors firmed by a spine of juicy acidity. The spicy note returns on an impressively long, penetrating finish that shows very good clarity and subtle, fine-grained tannins.

Score: 93 points -- Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 2019

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Patrick Jasmin is the fourth generation of his family to farm the estate, now comprising 6 hectares in Cote Rotie and 12 on IGP land. Over and over in reviews of his wines, the same descriptors get used: elegance, finesse, complexity, balance. Don’t mistake their understated character for lack of age worthiness though; Jasmin’s Cote Roties have a track record of graceful aging in the cellar. He tends eleven parcels across eight lieu-dits in the appellation, all on terraced slopes inaccessible to tractors. When he isn’t tending vines or making wine, Jasmin enjoys racing off-road go-karts.