Notes from Kermit Lynch:

"As the fourth generation to farm the family domaine, at first alongside both his father and grandfather and now on his own, Patrick remains grounded in tradition. He and his wife Arlette (the business whiz of the family), tend to eleven parcels of land in eight lieux-dits, totaling a mere five hectares of land. It’s a remarkable amount of work considering the challenging nature of the terrain and its inaccessibility to tractors. Therefore, at Domaine Jasmin everything is done by hand, of course with the exception of the punch-downs…which are by foot.

 The Jasmin’s vineyards are co-planted with ninety-five percent Syrah and five percent Viognier; the traditionally planted Viognier lends terrific floral aromas to this wine over time. The séléction massale of his Syrah is known as “la vieille sérine.” Closely studied by the Synidicat of his home town in Ampuis, Patrick works with them to promote the conservation of this ancient version of the varietal, known for its beautiful aromatics, smaller berries and seeds, and lower yields. Patrick vinifies their two cuvées separately—one from their old vines in the Côte Baudin and Côte Blonde, the other from single vineyards Beleyat and Tupin. The two are blended before bottling to produce a single Côte Rôtie."