Levet Cote Rotie Les Journaries, Rhone, France 2021

A small range of three Côte-Rôtie is made by the Ampuis based Levet family at their domaine, founded in 1929. Bernard Levet’s daughter Agnès has joined him and as elsewhere a new generation brings fresh impetus and an overhaul particularly of winemaking. The wines here though very much retain their traditional approach and are full of depth and character but also finely crafted and well made. The Levets have small plots spread across a number of sites with just over 4 ha under vine. The vine age varies but much of the vineyard is over 70 years of age, providing great intensity in the fruit. The vinification regime is to some extent driven by the wine and vine age.

Since the 2004 vintage, we have expanded our work with the Levet family to include a second bottling of Cote Rotie known as “Les Journaries”, a cuvée drawn from grapes harvested from old vines in the “La Landonne” lieu-dit. This wine is more subtle, more elegant and “quieter” if you will than the “Chavaroche”. At the same time, it is very much a Levet wine with a bouquet of violets, wild berries, a touch of animal and resinous-like tannins that speak of the inclusion of stems (a hallmark of the Levet tradition).  The “Journaries” is approachable at an earlier stage than its companion “La Chavaroche” but, that being said, it is a wine that not only ages gracefully but almost requires a touch of patience.