2016 – Page 2

A VERY SPECIAL CHIANTI

We have come through a very special period in Tuscany in general and Chianti in particular. But we are still on the lookout for more examples of 2016, arguably the best and most complete vintage we can recall in all of our years doing this. We are thrilled to run across regular Chianti bottlings from the vintage but, for the most part, the market has absorbed those wines. There should still be occasional appearances from Riserva and Gran Selezione bottlings from this exceptional vintage that should prove to be memorable high points.

We had great expectations, given what we have tasted from 2016, when a purveyor pulled one of the late arriving 2016 Chiantis out of their bags and the Caparsa Chianti Classico Riserva Caparsino 2016 did not disappoint. In fact it was arguably one of the most impressive examples of the vintage we have tasted thus far. Since we don’t have a long experience with this producer (or any prior to 2016), we can’t really say with any authority if how much of this wine is courtesy of the vintage, or if Paolo Cianferoni is some sort of winemaking genius. In any case, even among the sensational array of outstanding Chiantis we have tasted from 2016, this one is special.

Located in Radda in Chianti, there is a distinct mineral undertone that makes a first impression here and is part of the whole experience front to back. The flavors and profile are definitely Tuscan, the insistent stony underpinnings definitely something we associate with Radda (a relatively small designation), but the density and richness of the fruit component and mid-palate elevate this wine to another level. Given the performance here, we couldn’t even balk at the price, certainly at the upper end of the riserva classification though relatively modest by comparison to many of the Gran Selezione bottlings.

In the notes from the winery, this wine is 100% Sangiovese (hand harvested, of course) from an elevated site (about 1450 feet) that is spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts and then sees one year in large barrels. The color is impressively dark for Sangiovese, the aromas show powerful fruit tones and well as that stony minerality. The weight on the palate surprises for Sangiovese as well, the flavors deceptively rich and yet distinctively Tuscan, the tannins and acidity well tucked in as is the standard in 2016, this is a head turner.

Antonio Galloni was suitably impressed as well, “The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Caparsino is the more refined of the estate’s two Riservas. Aromatic, silky and also plush, the 2016 is fabulous. Mint, pine, lavender, espresso and macerated dark cherry all open up in the glass, but more than anything else, the 2016 is a wine that gracefully marries power with richness. The 2016 is a total knock-out. Don’t miss it… 96 Points.”

We understand that for some of you, $45 for something that says Chianti might be a little difficult. But this is one of those wines that rises above the appellation and bests most of the much pricier Gran Selezione wines we have tasted.

Like Galloni says, don’t miss it. He’s right.

NEW, FUN BUBBLES FROM AN OLD ‘FRIEND’

One could spend time debating what makes for the best bubbly, but on most days for most of us, something that is clean, interesting, and not prohibitively expensive is never a bad choice. Sometimes you just want some good fizz or even just make a cocktail. With that in mind, we are always looking for some thing new, different, and moderately priced for the selection. A new surprise from a old label handed us one of the more interesting options we have seen in quite a while.

Chateau Moncontour Sparkling Vouvray Cuvee Prediliction 2016 struck a really nice balance between lift, bright flavors, refined bubbles, and palate interest. Made from 100% Chenin Blanc, it manages to show varietal nuance of citrus and peach, with some underlying chalky terroir notes, with fine bubbles, clarity of flavors, and a clean finish.

If you were fortunate enough to have the stunning Huet sparkler we had last year, this one shows a lot of the same nuance at close to half the price. Don’t confuse this one with their non-vintage, regular cuvee as this one much brighter and more focused and only a couple bucks more. It’s clean, crisp, and dry, and at a perfect tab for much more casual applications. We find it a bit more defined than most similarly priced domestic bubblies. You don’t have to tell folks it wasn’t expensive.

GREAT NEW JUICE FROM SIERRA CANTABIA

It’s a family affair in a way. We have been fans of Sierra Cantabria at many levels for a couple of decades. We almost feel a familial connection with a couple of Rioja producers (Sierra Cantabria, Muga, La Rioja Alta, and Lopez de Heredia). We have met the owners, visited the wineries, and sold their wines consistently for a long time. Even though there are no ‘automatics’ at Winex, and we look hard at every new vintage of everything, it is almost inconceivable that we wouldn’t have something on the floor from each of these producers.

Sierra Cantabria just recently rolled out an impressive ‘triple play’. The lineup is distinctive, with stylistic variety based on different philosophies for each wine and sourcing from three different vintages. We have already done an email in the two sensational Gran Reserva efforts, Sierra Cantabria Rioja Gran Reserva 2009 and the Egurens’ single vineyard estate El Puntido Rioja Gran Reserva 2007. The reviews are sensational, the styles distinctive, and we advise you to check this pair of classics out if you didn’t see that offer.

Since we almost never put more than two items in an email these days, we did not include this one in that offer. But the Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva Unica 2016 is another really impressive effort that certainly should not be overlooked. We just finished up the last bottle of the 2009, and it was smoking! This 2016 comes from a great vintage and is perhaps finer tuned and more seamless than that ’09 from a warmer vintage.

This series has been around since at least 2008 and, while it is done in the traditional manner (as you’ll see in Jeb Dunnuck’s notes below), this definitely sports a fresher, more modern bent to the fruit and comes off a bit more modern. Lots of dark cherry and red plum fruit with a subtle underpinning of earthy minerality and baking spice. Appealing and pretty user friendly out of the gate, as that 2009 demonstrated, it will age nicely if that is the call.

From Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2016 Reserva Unica comes from a single vineyard located in the alluvial soils beside the Ebro river. Made from 97% Tempranillo and 3% Graciano that was all destemmed and aged 24 months in 30% new French and America oak, this deep, concentrated 2016 packs some serious muscle in its blackcurrants, black cherry, licorice, toasted spice, and dried earth-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, with a dense, concentrated mid-palate and ripe tannins, give bottles a few years in a cold cellar and enjoy over the following 10-15 years…94 points.”

A great choice at a modest $24.98, it’s a sensational value for a quality red.

A BURGUNDY ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’

The working title of this piece is ‘the kids are alright’. It starts with one of the historic domains of Burgundy. Georges Noëllat was the nephew of Charles Noëllat, who was once the proprietor of one of Vosne’s greatest domains. We recall when Domaine Leroy purchased a chunk of the top holdings of the estate and we sold some of the library Charles Noellat wines as they were liquidating the cellar around 1990.

Around that time, Domaine Georges Noëllat went forward selling its production to Jadot and Drouhin for the next 20 years. In 2010, 20-year-old Maxime Cheurlin took over the management of the estate from his grandmother. Cheurlin grew up in Champagne, but it seems Burgundy wine is truly in his blood. He is related to Burgundy ‘royalty’ as he is a nephew of the Jayer family and Emmanuel Rouget’s sons are his cousins. Thus, he complemented his winemaking studies at the Lycée du Viticole in Beaune with stages at Emmanuel Rouget and Gros Frère et Soeur in 2009.

The ‘kid’ has shown true talent from ‘day one’ and has a clear, well defined winemaking regimen. Genetics? Maybe. The focus is on purity of fruit and reflection of terroir. A lot of vignerons say that, but Maxine takes it to another level. They will never be the biggest, blowsiest wines on the table. But they have an uncanny clarity of flavor and definition. Grapes are hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed (except in a few rare cases where up to 30% of stems may be included), and cool macerated for a few days before fermentation begins (native yeasts only). Maxime prefers the term “infusion” to extraction, so punch downs are rare and gentle.

Deeming that the intensity of his terroirs can stand up to new oak, he uses 30-100% depending on the appellation and vintage. Aging lasts 14 to 20 months, and the wines are bottled generally without fining or filtration. Yet the wines are not ‘oaky’ by any means. Allen Meadows (aka Burghound) commented, “As to the style of the wines, they are understated and impressively crafted wines that emphasize purity of fruit and refinement, indeed they could well be described as delicate. One might wish for a bit more body and weight but that is more of a stylistic comment because the wines are beautifully well-balanced and speak clearly of their underlying terroirs.”

Delicate is not a dirty word. It is rather a word that will be very appealing to true lovers of Burgundy, along with other words like clarity, purity, elegance, and harmony. In our tastings, the terroirs were all evident, but exhibited themselves within the context of shimmering, inviting, tender dark cherry fruit. If you want to contemplate the vineyard, it’s there for you. But if you are in a more hedonistic mood, there’s plenty of engaging, perfectly ripened midpalate fruit to consume with gusto and no sharp edges to get in the way. There is a definite ‘family resemblance’ between his wines and his cousin’s (they apparently spend a lot of time together), though Maxime’s are perhaps a touch more lifted.

The Georges Noellat Nuits-St-Georges 2016 comes from a tiny plot of .6 hectare of 50-year-old vines. The delicate but ethereal nose delivers beautifully ripened dark cherry fruit laced with spice. In the mouth the purity of the fruit is clear and the cherry and spice is joined by the traditional iron-like minerality of the village but it is subtly woven into the fabric of the wine rather than dominating.

Good barrel notes from Steve Tanzer and Alan Meadows, both tough scorers (88-90). Tanzer’s notes, “(mostly from Au Bas de Combe): Deep red-ruby. Aromas of blackberry, violet and licorice pastille complicated by a hint of coffee torrefaction. Still a touch of reduction to its youthfully bound-up flavors of black fruits, licorice and spices. Finishes with noteworthy length and a firm tannic backbone for village wine.”

The ‘firm tannic backbone’ seems to resolved itself in the subsequent two and a half years since the notes were written. This refined Burgundy was also tasted alongside big time Grand and Premier Crus, a subject we have spoken on at length about how the ‘lesser’ climats are always at a disadvantage. On its own the Nuits-St.-Georges is a beautiful, true bottle of Burgundy. We’d also encourage you explore some of the upper cuvees. We think this producer has great touch and is clearly one to watch. This is an important name for a variety of reasons and his 2016’s are très, très bien.

See all 2016 Noellat red Burgundies

‘NEW’ OREGON CHARD FROM AN OLD HAND

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But Ponzi, certainly among the oldest ‘dogs’ in Oregon viticulture, has clearly learned a lot more about Chardonnay. A lot of folks in Oregon have. Early on, tasting Chardonnay was something that a buyer did to be polite. For the most part, the wines were narrow, acidic and many smelled like pine needles. Eventually, vintners reexamined the clones they were using and decided they weren’t the best for their cooler region, as well as adjusting winemaking practices.

The changes have been remarkable. A number of the newer Chardonnay bottlings from Oregon have weight, texture, and complexity, while still walking a tighter line because of the cooler growing seasons in this part of the world. Ten years ago we rarely had any inclination to talk up an Oregon Chardonnay. Today we are regularly finding engaging examples. The Ponzi Chardonnay Reserve 2016 is the latest, a blend of various vineyards including the winery’s own LIVE Certiﬁed Sustainable Avellana and Aurora Vineyards, fermented in 15% new French oak.

Texture is the biggest thing you may notice in the new Oregon Chardonnays like this one. While far from fat and blowsy, there’s fruit and weight in the mid-palate, quince, pear, and peach fruit with some toast, floral, and spice notes to the finish. They definitely deserve attention these days.

James Suckling found a lot to like here as well writing, “This is a complex chardonnay with a wealth of ripe peaches and pears, framed in attractive, grilled-cashew and praline nuances. The palate has very composed texture and freshness and delivers a sturdy, concentrated impression with pears, lemons and grilled hazelnuts to close…93 points.”

It seems that, thus far, the public has seemingly not caught on to the changes in Oregon Chardonnay. Or maybe it’s the pandemic. In any case, that makes it better for you as we can offer out this list $44 reserve bottling for a mere $19.99!

POLISHED ‘GO-TO’ BARBERA

There has and will continue to be a lot of attention paid to the fantastic 2016 vintage in Piedmont, though history will remember the great Barolos and Barbarescos. We have had a lot of fun with the little wines of the region and the vintage provided a number of very appealing Barberas and Dolcettos. In our minds the vintage should have passed through the market by now, the fragmented distribution of Italian wines (lots of small purveyors) in this marketplace still seems to have a few pockets of the vintage wine to be had.

The Giovanni Rosso ‘Donna Margherita’ Barbera D’Alba 2016 is a fine example of this special vintage, coupled with a more generous style. It shows a sweet nose of red and black fruits, with earth, minerality and spice/herb/floral accents subtly woven in. Probably due both to the bottle age and the vintage itself, this particular version comes off as more fleshy and elegant than your typical commercial rendition of Barbera, which can be wildly different but often lean towards higher acidity. Consider this a ‘kinder, gentler’ example of the breed.

Monica Larner’s description of the wine we felt was pretty on point, “The Giovanni Rosso 2016 Barbera d’Alba Donna Margherita shows a slightly aged personality with toasted hazelnut, dried blackberry, dusty mineral and campfire ash. Barbera maintains bright primary fruit for a long time, but this wine (tasting four years after the harvest) is just beginning to show that added complexity of time, especially on the bouquet. In the mouth, however, Donna Margherita is surprising lively, bright and fresh.”

We sure liked it and the description appeared pretty positive. Given that, we have to say we were a little surprised by the ‘conclusion’, a ’89’ point score. What’s wrong with “added complexity” while still being “surprising lively, bright and fresh”? It goes to show that, on any given day, it is difficult to figure out what might be in the reviewer’s head. This rather plush, varietally true, engaging Barbera should please a lot of folks and delivers a lot for its modest tab.

TASTY ‘NEW’ SPANISH RED FROM AN ‘OLD’ SOURCE

While not an official DO, the Sierra de Gredos is home to a group of young, passionate and innovative winemakers who are pushing the boundaries of viniculture in a region that has long been seen as a place for bulk wine to slake the thirst of nearby Madrid. Even in a country of mountains and high plateaux, and despite its proximity to the sun-baked capital, the Sierra de Gredos seems more alpine, more remote and more rugged than one would imagine this far south. It is the unique combination of high altitudes and low latitudes that defines the potential of Gredos and when you throw in weathered slate, granite and schist soils and add some varieties that are pushed to their limits in such an extreme environment.

Many of the Spanish importers we know are touting what are loosely referred to as ‘Vinos de Madrid’ as the next big thing. Our experience has been rather more mixed, with a a number of wines rather undefined stylistically and others overly ‘reduced’. This area has been producing for a long time but, like other regions in Spain have done, are trying to step out of the bulk image and make more distinctive wines. One that has given us hope in the region is Bodegas Maranones. The creative force here is ‘young gun’ Fernando Garcia, who along with Daniel Landi, has already created the critically acclaimed Commando G wines.

The issue here is that this terroir is, literally, ‘high and dry’. The rather unique growing cycle here has little problem with pests or disease, but the season can be abruptly short and is highly susceptible to spring frosts. A lot of the vineyard work, organic/biodynamic farming and plowing the hillsides using mules, is focused on facilitating a long enough vegetative cycle for the grapes to get ripe.

The Bodegas Maranones 30,000 Maravedies Madrid 2016 is one of two workhorse wines for the project and a great portion of this wine comes from a vineyard called Dehesa, located in the valley with deeper alluvial/sandy soils (the other two sites are above 2500 feet and very stony). Garcia will forgo bottling higher priced, single vineyard bottlings if he feels the ‘entry level’ wines need a boost. Clearly he committed to building a name for the wines. In the cellar, it’s ‘old school’ with whole cluster fermentation and grapes foot-trodden, big foudres and indigenous yeast.

The Bodegas Maranones 30,000 Maravedies Madrid 2016 is 90% Grenache and 10% ‘local varietals’ including Morate, a white grape. This is loaded with Grenache personality but there is a coolness and refinement likely due to the elevation. Very few wines we have tasted from “Madrid” have shown this kind of elegance and we suspect the inclusion of some white grapes might have the same effect as Viognier in Cote Rotie, giving the wine an airier and more floral quality.

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez is a fan writing, “The fully developed, aromatic and open 2016 30.000 Maravedíes, with nice aromatics and a very pleasant palate. It’s fragrant and elegant, with pungent flavors and very good persistence. This is a superb showing for this bottling…91+ points.” (The ‘+’ indicates the wine may merit a higher review later on, this review was in Dec., 2018)

By the way, if you are wondering about the name, a maravidie is a gold-struck coin of Iberia for about four centuries starting in the 1100s. In 1150, Alfonso VII The Emperor, a real King of León, founds the Monastery of Santa María de Valdeiglesias in Pelayos de la Presa by assembling twelve hermitages of the area. From this moment, the agricultural exploitation of the land will be decided and promoted, with the wine as fundamental crop. In 1434, at the time when Juan II, father of Isabel la Católica, was king, Don Álvaro de Luna, “Condestable de Castilla”, bought the lordship of San Martín de Valdeiglesias from the monastery of Pelayos. The price…30,000 Maravedies.

ABADIA’S OUTSTANDING 2016

Back when we visited this winery circa 2000, they showed us a large facility that was all gravity flow and had a suspended conveyor to drop the harvest straight into tanks from above. It was pretty clear that these folks, who had designed one of the most impressive cellars we had witnessed to that point, and clearly had spent serious money, were in it for the long haul. There wasn’t a vine on the property in 1991 but all was subsequently planted under the direction of former Ausone winemaker Pascal Delbeck based on a soils study done by Spanish terroir expert Vincente Sotes.

The 2016 Abadia Retuerta Sardon del Duero Seleccion Especial marks their estate’s 25th Anniversary and 20th bottling. In our minds, it is the best effort we can recall from this series. Yeah, we know folks hear that a lot, particularly given the notable performance of wines from the 2016 vintage in a variety of regions in Spain, France, and Italy. But to perhaps give the statement a little context, the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Abadia Retuerta bottlings made ‘three-peat’, back-to-back-to-back appearances on the Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. We can’t remember saying that very often for any winery.

This 2016 Seleccion Especial displays the cohesive fruit, acidity, and ripe tannins that has marked the best of the vintage. Rich in the mouth, with polished edges, a creamy palate feel, yet fresh and lifted from front to back. Cassis and dark cherry fruit roll across the tongue with accents of damp earth and notes of chocolate. The finish is authoritative but soft and supple, the wine thoroughly engaging.

Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate shared our enthusiasm for this bottling, and we’d call your attention to the blend. Since the winery lies in the Sardon, just outside the confines of the Ribera del Duero, they had a bit more latitude with their varietal blends. It all appears to have worked out for the better.

From Wine Advocate, “Selección Especial is Abadía Retuerta’s reliable red blend produced in enough quantities to have good availability and with an approachable and easy-to-understand profile that reached great quality with the 2016 Selección Especial, from one of the best vintages in recent times in the region. It’s 75% Tempranillo, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, a blend that can change with the conditions of the year, as it’s decided by tasting the wines. If in the past this wine was quite oaky, this 2016 feels quite integrated and balanced, ripe and medium-bodied, with a soft and tender palate, round tannins and moderate influence from the élevage of 13 months in French and American oak barrels. This comes from a cuvée of 1,675 barrels that produced wine to fill 453,000 bottles, 22,500 magnums and 1,100 double magnums. The quality is awesome for the volume produced…93 points.”

We have always said it takes talent to make exceptional wine. but it is more difficult to make a lot of exceptional wine. Hats off to them. The 2016 Abadia Retuerta Sardon del Duero Seleccion Esppecial drinks well now, but it should do nicely in the cellar for at least a decade.

ANOTHER DELICIOUS ‘WORKHORSE’ RIOJA

With all of the choices there are out there these days, we understand it can be pretty overwhelming. There are new areas performing all the time, vintages change and there are fresh, new faces on the scene regularly. We see new wines constantly. These days a disproportionate number of them in the value categories, including quite a few that have gained popularity in recent years, taste more of the ‘lab’ than the vineyard. We don’t apologize for being somewhat traditional in our approach. Trendy is fine, but a lot of things that have performed admirably for a long time should not be ignored for the sake of fashion. If they offer a sense of place and excellent value, all the better.

One of the reasons we are such evangelists for Spanish wines in general, and Rioja in particular, is that it gives us all of those things. This message never gets old. Great Rioja producers offer some of the most complete and satisfying wine deals out there, and in that field Cvne has been a major force for a long time. Cvne (which stands for Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España though everybody calls them ‘Cune’) successfully operates three separate wineries with three different styles. All three have been on these pages multiple times over the years, at many different price levels, with good reason.

In the CVNE lineup, a wine entity that can trace its roots back to 1879, Viña Real is a relatively newcomer being ‘born’ in the 1920s with their focus on creating crianza wines from Rioja Alavesa. Those crianzas have been consistent players around here for a long time with relatively few gaps. They are consistently some of the best buys in the wine world. We’ll say that without hesitation. Of course when a vintage is particularly stellar, everything is amped up a little more. In other words what is ‘always good’ is that much better in an exceptional vintage. As we were doing our research, we noted the last time we did a big offer on the Crianza was with the epic 2010. The Vina Real Rioja Crianza 2016 is also from an exceptional vintage and delivers again beyond expectations for a wine of this price.

The Vina Real Rioja Crianza 2016 is a blend of 90% Tempranillo with the balance made up of Mazuelo, Garnacha, and Graciano that sees 13-14 months in barrel. Ripe plums, blackcurrant, high toned spices and subtle flashes of oak and balsamic, this is elegant and bright, but can stand up to hearty meat dishes yet whose supple edges and ripe tannins do not preclude applications with fish or fowl. The 2016 is a particularly engaging rendition, with the kind of tender fruit and easy going demeanor to make it far too easy to quaff. It is important to note that this Rioja was produced and bottled on the estate. Very few wines from anywhere in this price range can say that.

This is one of those appealing reds that, given its track record, shouldn’t need scores to sell it in a vintage like this. But we have some anyway. From Wine Spectator, “This red is dense and focused, with cherry, berry and vanilla flavors that emerge as the tannins give way, leading to a floral and spicy finish. Drink now through 2031…91 Points”

From Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate, ‘… It’s expressive, deliciously aromatic, floral and elegant, reflecting a cool year that delivered fresh wines that seem to be very approachable early on. 2016 is a pretty vintage, but this wine is not banal; it has depth and complexity that’s remarkable for the price point. The palate is fresh and balanced, with fine tannins…91 Points.”

This sub-$15 wine can play with everything from simple tapas to a roast bird to a tomahawk ribeye, or you can just drink it. But, more to the point, the list of choices of super tasty, well-made, well-reviewed, estate-bottled, honest wines at this kind of price is a rather short one. Viva España.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: TARDIEU LAURENT CDP ’16

As we have stated previously, most of the selections from the brilliant 2016 vintage in the southern Rhone have passed through the marketplace. But as we have also made pretty clear, we are still going to take a serious look at anything from the vintage that surfaces moving forward. We just ran across a pretty special wine (it even says so on the bottle.

We’ll be the first to admit we are hard-core wine geeks and also students of our experienced history in the wine world. This dynamic duo has been a remarkable source of exciting wines. Laurent’s talent in the cellar matched with Tardieu’s savvy and intimate knowledge of the Rhone created many very memorable wines. Dominic Laurent had already gained quite the reputation as a Burgundy impresario and somewhat controversial with respect to his cellar practices. Given the stellar performances in both Burgundy and this pair’s exploit’s in the Rhone, the juice was always exceptional.

For no doubt several reasons, they didn’t necessarily always have distribution in this market. They changed distribution a time or two, and sometimes weren’t available at all for long stretches. Great old vine fruit, careful, polished winemaking, they never disappointed in the glass and we were rightly pleased when they reappeared with a very fair-minded purveyor not long ago. We did a piece on their ‘big kid’ Cotes du Rhone Bec Fin 2016 and their 2012 Chateauneuf was a revelation given the vintage. Well, here we go again as this Tardieu Laurent Chateauneuf Cuvee Especial 2016 absolutely wowed us, no small feat given the glorious wines we have seen from this vintage.

Since 2008, when Laurent decided to dial things back, the Tardieu family has been in control of the operation with Michel’s son, Bastien, at the helm of the winemaking. While they have apparently backed off the oak elements (Laurent created early ripples with his 200% new oak regimen), the wines still have that distinctive ‘polish’ no doubt in part because of having worked so long with a ‘Burgundy guy’. Now that the Burgundy guy isn’t around, who ya gonna call? Yes, Bastien can bounce ideas off none other than Philippe Cambie, the ‘Grenache whisperer ‘.

Clear given what we have tasted recently, this team still has the magic. The specifics here are a plot of 100-year-vines situated in sandy soils in the important Bas de la Crau vineyard. The ‘blend’ here, as they state it, is 99% Grenache and 1% ‘other’. The grapes are not destemmed and the juice spends 12 months in 2-3 year-old Tronçais and Allier barrels followed by another 12-month stay in foudre. Everything is done to let the fruit shine through, and ‘shine’ it does. This Chateauneuf is then bottled unfiltered and unfined.

The nose shows classic kirsch fruits with well woven in spice, floral, and earth tones. On the palate, it is broad and rich, yet polished and integrated. Lots of dark red and some black fruits, spice, pepper, a touch of garrigue and a hint of smoke. The balance is impeccable in this ‘Chateauneuf-meets-Burgundy from possibly the greatest vintage ever’ beverage. We went in with pretty high expectations and this wine exceeded them. We’ll offer up a barrage of press with our comment that, if anything. we might be a point or two higher. We will note that this, curiously, was not reviewed in Wine Advocate but there is no shortage of deserved praise.

From Jeb Dunnuck, “The tiny production 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale is Grenache dominated and comes from 100-year-old vines planted in the sandy portions of the famed la Crau lieu-dit. It looks to be one of the stars in the vintage. Blackberries, pepper, violets, and earth all emerge from this full-bodied, massively concentrated, Grenache that has sweet tannin, no hard edges and the opulence and purity of this sensational vintage… 95-97 points.”

From Vinous’ Josh Raynolds, “Deep bright-hued ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, sandalwood, garrigue, lavender and exotic spices, and a smoky mineral element builds in the glass. Sappy, penetrating and pure in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated Chambord, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that deepen steadily as the wine stretches out. Blends power and finesse with a smooth hand and finishes extremely long and seamless, the fine-grained tannins framing the wine’s intense berry fruit...95 points.”

From James Suckling, “The old-vine soul is compelling here with blue-fruit aromas and flavors. Some nuances of iodine and black, inky character, too. Long, suave and powerful tannins make for a compelling, intense and impressive Châteauneuf. Try in 2022…95 points.”

If there was ever a knock of Tardieu Laurent back in the day, it was that their pricing sometimes seemed a bit “Burgundian”. That is certainly not the case here. This can legitimately run with the biggest dogs of the vintage yet sits in the lower part of the price spectrum of elite bottlings ($59.98). Classy Chateauneuf and a significant find this late in the game, don’t miss it!