chateauneuf

CHATEAUNEUF INSIDERS’ PICK

It’s pretty easy to get lost in the crowd. Back when we started seriously working with Chateauneuf in the early 90s, there weren’t near as many selections available in this market as there are now and the series of vintages up to 1998, a breakout year and the beginning of an unprecedented run of vintages in the southern Rhone that has continued through 2020. There are a lot of domaines and a lot of scores out there, and our job is to highlight as many things that we think are viable. But there are some really delicious wines that represent sensational value for the genre that don’t necessarily get the broad attention they deserve. That is one of the things we can do in this space.

Jean Royer, who also makes another house favorite Chateauneuf-look alike steal called Le Petit Roy from grapes outside the appellation and sometimes declassified Chateauneuf, is one that we think falls into that category. His cuvee ‘Tradition’ is exactly that…a classic, sappy Grenache-based effort that is plush, tender, and engaging. The domaine was one of the late Philippe Cambie’s first clients when Cambie started back in 1998, and they have learned well.

It gets good reviews, this one garnering a 93 from Wine Advocate and 92s from Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Enthusiast. For whatever reason, Vinous hasn’t said anything about this wine since 2009. They also make a couple of upper cuvees which of course limits this wine’s ‘upward mobility’ in the numbers game. On the hedonist scale, however, it scores high.

We are fans and, even though we have plenty of wines representing the region, we couldn’t leave the Jean Royer Chateauneuf Tradition 2019 off the team. A blend of 85% Grenache and 5% each Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault, it is an ample, layered, sexy bottle of Chateauneuf and it sells for under $40!

The reviews tell the same story. Joe Czerwinski of Wine Advocate say, “…the palate is full-bodied, creamy and lush. Supple but concentrated, this strong, almost entirely tank-aged effort finishes long, with ample intensity.” And from Jeb Dunnuck, “…a big, ripe, incredibly sexy classic cuvée that has full-bodied richness and no hard edges. It’s for the Grenache lovers out there.” You get the picture.

THE SUPER DELUXE CHATEAUNEUF SHOPPER, OH MY!

Another day, another lagging boat showed up bearing treasures acquired at what now seems like long ago. Supply chain issues are real. This particular bateau (ship) bore a number of absolute jewels from the southern Rhone which prompted us to look over our current stocks of Chateauneuf du Pape from the gorgeous 2019 vintage. We realized we had accumulated quite the selection.

It was altogether too massive to present in its entirety. So we settled on presentation only elite, top-of-the-heap bottlings that had scored 96 points and above. Even at that, our cup almost ranneth over. Even with our long history presenting Chateauneufs in virtually every conceivable way over the years, this collection has to be some sort of high water mark.

Yes, it has been a grand period for the southern Rhone since 1998. But 2019 is a top-notch harvest within that lofty string of hit vintages. As we have presented in past offerings, while 2019 is not quite as fool proof from top to bottom as, say, 2016, the best of the 2019s are on par with top efforts in any vintage. This group represents those high achievers. What we have put together here is a ‘Super Deluxe Chateauneuf Shopper’. In this lineup, every wine scored a minimum of 96 points or more. Ne Plus Ultra, Crème de la Crème, call it what you want, this is an embarrassment of riches or the definition of “too much good stuff.”

These would all qualify as the ‘cherries on top’ of whatever you may have acquired thus far from this exceptional vintage. If you haven’t done much yet, you could put together a broad and enviable collection of top fight Chateauneufs in one fell swoop. We sent these as an email, took a pretty good hit, reshuffled and are presenting it again. We can honestly say that the numbers and the reviews here speak for themselves. It’s a lot to digest, but we’re confident you folks can handle it. That’s why we put it in a format you can revisit any time you want. Good hunting to all…

VIEILLE JULIENNE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES HAUTS LIEUX 2019– from Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts-Lieux includes slightly more Mourvèdre and comes from a cooler parcel in the northern part of the appellation. It has another level of purity and precision compared to the Trois Sources and has extraordinary notes of blueberries, cassis, black licorice, violets, and crushed stone-like minerality. Incredibly concentrated, massive, and yet perfectly balanced, it has no hard edges and is just an incredible tasting experience. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 20-25 years….98+ points.”

VIEILLE JULIENNE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES TROIS SOURCES 2019-from Jeb Dunnuck, “More cassis, morello cherry, Asian spice, and a beautiful sense of minerality and loamy earth emerge from the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Trois Sources, a full-bodied, concentrated blend of 60% Grenache, 15% each of Cinsault and Syrah, and the balance Mourvèdre. Coming all from the estate’s sandy soils in the northern part of the appellation, this incredibly concentrated, textured wine has perfect balance, building tannins, and a great finish. Give this beauty another 4-5 years in the cellar and drink it over the following two decades or more…96+ points.”

LA BASTIDE SAINT DOMINIQUE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES HESPERIDES 2019– from Jeb Dunnuck , “An even split of Grenache and Mourvèdre brought up mostly in tank (20% in demi-muids), the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hesperides is a dense, meaty, powerful wine offering a monster bouquet of black cherry and blackberry fruits as well as roasted meats, chocolate, bouquet garni, and spice. Beautifully textured on the palate, it’s full-bodied and powerful yet stays light and graceful, with building tannins and a great finish. It’s another head-turning good wine from this estate…97 points.”

CRISTIA CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE VIEILLES VIGNES 2019-from Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes (100% Grenache) brings more opulence and sexiness, with a more unevolved vibe in its ripe black fruits, violets, toasted spice, and Provençal garrigue-like aromas and flavors. Brought up in equal parts used barrels, new French oak, and demi-muids, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a seamless, incredibly elegant texture, ripe tannins, and one hell of a great finish. This is a Grenache lover’s dream, and it should continue drinking brilliantly for another 10-15 years…97 points.” (Also Wine Spectator 96)

CLOS SAINT-JEAN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE LA COMBE DES FOUS 2019-From Jeb Dunnuck, “Sensationally pure cassis and blackberry fruits as well as complex notes of lavender, Provençal garrigue, ground pepper, and flowers all define this full-bodied 2019, which displays the vintage’s ripe, perfumed style while bringing more finesse, elegant, and purity than just about every other wine out there. It’s the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted and has another 15-20 years of prime drinking ahead of it…100 Points.”

DOMAINE PIERRE USSEGLIO ET FILS CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE RESERVE DES DEUX FRERES 2019–From Jeb Dunnuck, “While the 2020 will include a splash of Syrah, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Réserve Des Deux Frères is its normal 100% Grenache and is a selection made in the cellar. In 2019, it ended up being roughly 30% new oak, and I think there were some stems included as well. It’s another magical wine from this estate, boasting a dense purple hue as well as a perfume of black raspberries, cassis, blueberry liqueur, spring flowers, toasted bread, and lavender. Full-bodied on the palate, with an incredible mouthfeel, riveting purity, and ultra-fine tannins, it’s unquestionably one of the all-time greats of this cuvée. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more…100 points.” Also Wine Advocate 98)

ROGER SABON CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE CUVEE PRESTIGE 2019-From Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com, “One of the top vintages for this cuvée, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Prestige features intense aromas of black cherries and purple raspberries, without the dark chocolate nuances that appear in the other 2019s at this address. It’s full-bodied, dense and concentrated, big but also silky and fine, with a long, elegant finish. It’s a Grenache-led assemblage of lots from the lieux-dits of les Brusquières and Cabrières…97 points.” (Also Jeb Dunnuck 96, Decanter 95, Wine Advocate 96)

LE CLOS DU CAILLOU “LES QUARTZ” CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2019– From Jeb Dunnuck, “Moving to the tiny production 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz, which is mostly Grenache with around 25% or so of Syrah, it has a rich, full-bodied, dense, and almost backward style to go with powerful black fruits, ground pepper, and violet aromas and flavors. I love its purity of fruit, and it builds nicely with time in the glass, showing more mid-palate depth as well as ripe tannins. It’s a stunning bottle of wine, but patience will be required. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades…97+ points.” (Also Decanter 96)

SAINT PREFERT CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE COLLECTION CHARLES GIRAUD 2019– From Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Collection Charles Giraud includes a big chunk of Mourvèdre and is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre that was partially destemmed and brought up in demi-muids. If offers a deep ruby/plum color as well as a rich, savory, complex bouquet of black raspberries, cassis, toasted spice, cured meats, and graphite. The Mourvèdre really shows in this beauty, and it’s full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, yet never loses its seamless, flawlessly balanced profile. It’s going to need 4-5 years of bottle age but will have 20-25 years of ultimate longevity. It’s another thrilling wine from this estate…99 points.” (Also Wine Advocate 96)

DOMAINE DE LA CHARBONNIERE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES HAUTES BRUSQUIERES 2019–From Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Les Hautes Brusquières (60/40 Grenache and Syrah) comes from a cooler terroir near the Mount Redon plateau and was brought up in oak tronconique tanks and demi-muids. Its dense purple, almost opaque hue is followed by a brilliant perfume of mulled red and black fruits, peppery herbs, crushed stone, violets, and licorice. With full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, and just about perfect tannins, it’s another superstar wine from this estate that’s up with the finest vintages to date…97 points.” (Also Wine Advocate 95)

CHARVIN CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2019 – From Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape from Laurent is the usual blend of 82% Grenache and the rest nearly equal parts Syrah, Mourvèdre, Vaccarèse, and Counoise that was brought up all in concrete tank. It shows the sunny, spicy, Provençal style of the vintage beautifully while still having incredible freshness in its red and black fruits as well as garrigue, ground pepper, spring flowers, and incense aromas and flavors. Gorgeous on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied Châteauneuf du Pape is balanced and has terrific tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. Rhône lovers need to have this beauty in their cellar, and it’s going to offer pleasure for a solid two decades…96 points.”

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!

‘COACHED’ BY A LEGEND

From the outset, we have said that we believe 2016 was the best vintage of Chateauneuf we have ever tasted. We will not stray from that until another such vintage comes along. That could be in a couple of years, or never, given the wacky weather patterns of this century. Who knows? At least with us, unlike politicians, we say what we mean. You might also recall that we said of 2017 that, in any other decade, it would have people dancing in the streets. It is an outstanding vintage that followed a ‘vintage for the ages’. Incumbent with that, we also said that given the overall high quality of 2017, there would be exceptional individual efforts. This is one of those.

Clos des Brusquieres Chateauneuf du Pape 2017 is classically old school. They only make small quantities of one wine, a Chateauneuf. No luxury cuvée, no specialty blend, no Cotes du Rhone, just one really tasty, pure Chateauneuf. The estate itself is only eight hectares in size, and the wine is composed of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre from old vines that average 60 years of age. There’s a long history here with the great grandfather of owner Claude Courtil having bottled a wine under the label ‘Clos Courtil’ way back around 1900, a rarity in those days. For the most part, however, the produce was sold to negociants until 1996.

There are a couple of things very unique abut this property. First, as we said, they only make one single wine. The other is a bit less obvious. Owner Claude Courtil is the godson of none other than Henri Bonneau, one of the most legendary and revered producers in the region. Claude learned everything he knows about winemaking from his godfather. Bonneau and Claude share a deeply held commitment to natural winemaking, manual vineyard work, traditional aging in large foudres, and bottling without fining and filtration. Claude’s two sons, David and Jêrome were coached by their father, who was coached by a legend, to take charge of the domain which they did in 2015. Pretty sweet vintages to start with (2015-17) wouldn’t you say?

Maybe it was ‘beginner’s luck’, and maybe it was great coaching, but the lads got back to back 94s from Vinous’ Josh Raynolds in 2016 and 2017, not a reviewer who passes out big scores like chocolate Easter eggs. We would actually give the nod to the 2017 in our minds as possibly the best Clos des Brusquieres ever. Classic Chateauneuf. Josh Raynolds notes, “Deep brilliant red. An assertively perfumed bouquet evokes red berry preserves, exotic spices and candied lavender, along with a chalky mineral quality that builds as the wine opens up. Sweet, seamless and energetic in style, offering lithe raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors that show wonderful clarity and back-end cut. The mineral and floral components drive a very long, appealingly sweet finish shaped by smooth, harmonious tannins…94 points.”

It’s also well priced for the category, another bonus.

TARDIEU LAURENT CDP AT NEARLY HALF OFF? BON!

Things can happen for any number of reasons. We have to presume this curious opportunity is one of those that is simply a function of a variety of events. We could likely figure out the scenarios that led to this striking value, but in the end doesn’t really matter. It all starts with Tardieu-Laurent, the Rhone focused partnership between former patissier/ Burgundy virtuoso Dominique Laurent and Rhone native/insider Michel Tardieu. We have been following Laurent since the mid-90s when he became a sensation in Burgundy and were all-over this Rhone project from the get go.

It 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 teroirs. The only issue early on is that the prices were a bit above the market for the various appellation bottlings. Given the performance, the higher fares were more than justified. But also, for no doubt several reasons, they didn’t necessarily always have distribution in this market. They changed horses a time or two, and sometimes weren’t available at all. It took a little extra effort to sell the wines because of the elevated pricing, but we were always on board because the wines always performed at very high levels. Great old vine fruit, careful, polished winemaking, they never disappointed in the glass.

After one fairly long period of absence, the wines reappeared. The match of importer and vigneron was not, however, ‘made in heaven’. Not sure how it came together, but a producer that was never shy about pricing hooking up with an importer that took predictably high margins didn’t seem like the best fit. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work. The house now has a new, more ‘down-to-earth’ distribution scenario who, besides reintroducing the wines to the market in earnest, is in the process of cleaning up a few ‘odds and ends’. The Tardieu Laurent Chateau-du-Pape Vielles Vignes 2012 was quite the surprise in that process.

At face value, the vintage itself was not any kind of indicator. While a ripe and warm vintage that the critics seemed to like a little more than we did, there were a number of notable releases that were the best following 2010 until 2015. They were generally ripe, jammy and broad on the palate, but all too often bordered on too ripe. On the plus side they had weight and plenty of fruit, but lacked the kind of freshness a truly grand vintage possessed to give the wines drive. Based on our extensive tasting, we had kind of the same expectations for this wine. That turned out to be completely wrong.

This might well be the best effort we have tasted from the 2012 vintage, with the rich, expressive dark red fruit in abundance but also a purity to the flavors and a great tension and freshness on the palate. Now under the control of the Tardieu family, from Grenache vines that were 80 years old, it is broad, lifted and gregarious across the palate, with the kind of energy atypical for the 2012 vintage. Intense dark red fruits, layered elements to the flavors, this wine plays above even its exalted station for a 2012.

We loved the wine ‘straight up’ but weren’t surprised to find some nice words about it when we went looking. Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media offered, “Dark ruby. Deeply pitched cherry, black raspberry and Indian spice aromas are lifted by a sexy floral oil quality. Juicy and densely packed, showing excellent depth to its red and dark berry liqueur, cherry-cola and spicecake flavors. Stains the palate while coming across as energetic and precise. Closes with very good vivacity and length, with silky tannins adding structure and grip…93 Points.”

Even more from Wine Advocate, “Superb and with loads of potential, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, with the Grenache aged in older barrel and the Syrah in new barrels) is more deep and layered than the Cuvee Speciale. Offering up impressive notes of mineral, new leather and smoky black fruits, this full-bodied, layered and textured 2012 has superb mid-palate depth, fine tannin and an all-around concentrated, backwards feel. It will require 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15 years or more…93-95+ (barrel score).”

The most recent of the two reviews was nearly five years ago, and clearly this Chateauneuf has gotten its 3-4 years of bottle age and has evolved marvelously. Given our negotiated ‘closeout’ price is substantially less than the lower of the only two prices we saw online, all is as it should be. This is a spectacular performer, particularly for the vintage, that is in peak form for current ‘applications’. A rare treat.

A NEW CHATEAUNEUF STAR IS BORN

The wine business might seem ‘cool’ and even somewhat glamorous to some. But ultimately it is a business with all of the politics, broken promises, and disappointments that can be a part of any business. There were a lot of reasons we could have passed on this wine. The purveyor had presented us the hugely reviewed 2016 vintage but somehow it all disappeared before we got any.

The 2017s, while very good, followed a vintage-of-a-lifetime in the southern Rhone in 2016 where we had sold (and continue to sell) huge quantities. There was no hurry to get engaged in 2017s for a number of adjunct reasons. Their time will come but the marketplace still contains a fair bit of available wines that had superb reviews from a highly touted vintage.

Given all of that, and the fact that the quantities were not sufficient to support a full blown email offer, it would have been very easy to pass this one by. It’s not like we needed another Chateauneuf. But we couldn’t say no. The Clos St. Antonin Chateauneuf 2017 was, very simply, too good! The nose of cured cherries and spice soared from the glass and pretty much announced the wine the way a herald would announce royalty entering a room. In the mouth, the wine was vigorous, persistent, engaging, and complete presenting a broad swath of vibrant red fruits with all of the inlaid nuance one could ask for.

You may not know the name. The Clos St. Antonin as it exists today only started with the 2015 vintage. Put together by Aime Sabon and his daughter Isabelle, from a contiguous parcel of old vines purchased in the Cotes du Rhone, plus some property from Domaine de la Janasse’s Chateauneuf holdings where this wine originated, this is a new and clearly estimable player to hit the market.

There hasn’t been much said about this wine other than an enthusiastic piece from Jeb Dunnuck, “The same mix of La Crau, Font de Loup, and Saint Georges lieux-dits brought up in a foudre, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape has a Rayas-like bouquet of kirsch liqueur, candied rose petal, orange zest, and spice. It’s incredibly polished, elegant and layered on the palate, with fine tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. This is a brilliant wine I’d be thrilled to have in the cellar…94+”

He went on to say, “I continue to love these wines from Clos St Antonin… Along with Chapelle Saint Theodoric, they’re the closest thing to Rayas out there.” The ‘plus’ after the 94 suggests that the wine could well merit a higher review later. The comparison to Rayas is ‘next level’.

Isabelle has quite the touch and her wines deliver a mouthful of fruit while still retaining poise and elegance. Back in the old days we’d probably say it was a ‘woman’s touch’, but it is unclear if one can make that kind of statement any more. Clearly her Janasse pedigree is evident, but the wines have a personality all their own. This is a brilliant effort and an important new label (her 94 point 2016 Cotes du Rhone Plan de Dieu is ‘aces’ as well). Too bad there isn’t more.

‘Special Purchase’: Masterful Chateaunef, WS Top 100 #22 at Age 20

No wine region has had a better run than the southern Rhone over the last 20 years. We have tasted copious examples of Chateauneuf over that time frame. While there are numerous outstanding vintages (2015, 2010, 2007, 2005), in our minds 1998 still reigns supreme. In every great vintage there have been great examples of the genre, but a few that were perhaps a little over the top. One of the exceptions is 1998. Virtually everything we have had the opportunity to taste from the vintage has been impressive for both richness and balance. Sadly, we drank most of our 1998s a fair bit ago though we never stopped looking for that rare opportunity to grab another example of this wonderful vintage. As they say, ‘seek and ye shall find’, and we found a gem.

We saw the 1998 Chateau La Gardine on a European suppliers list and could not wait to explore the possibilities further. Of course given that the wine was twenty years old, we wanted to make sure the juice was in great shape. We requested a sample from the European purveyor and they sent one. Ignoring our own rules of letting bottles settle down for a few days after being shipped, we pretty much opened the bottle as soon as we could get it out of the box. The wine showed beautifully literally right off the truck, which caused to scramble to secure every last bottle we could.

Chateau La Gardine was one of our house favorites early on in our formative years with Chateauneuf, and we fondly remember this from when we sold it the first time around. The wine was round, and well proportioned (still is), with a definite leaning to darker red fruits in its profilewith a surprising elegance that few Chateauneuf vintages that were this ripe possessed. The distinctive bottle also made the wine memorable, or a least immediately recognizable. The story goes that when Gaston Brunel first wanted to expand his cellar, while he was digging in the ground, he found a mouth-blown bottle. He loved its distinctive look and decided to use a similar shape for all his wine. At the beginning, he had to go all the way to Italy to find a glass supplier that was able to make it. Since 1964, all of their wines have come in the unique ‘La Gardine’shaped-bottle.

The Chateau La Gardine Chateauneuf 1998 itself shows a lovely mulberry color with a pure nose of black raspberry, spice and hints of pepper. In the mouth there are additional streaks of earth, meat, and chocolate along with the insistent, polished fruit. The finish shows a bit of minerality as well as coffee/chocolate component. The weight and impression lean more towards a riper Pinot Noir as opposed to the almost oppressive jamminess that occurs in some wines in warmer vintages. It is a captivating experience and an example of a Chateauneuf that has aged beautifully and can still go a bit longer (though it is in a lovely place right now).

There’s pedigree here, too, as well as a flurry of scores including 92 points from Wine Advocate’s Jeb Dunnuck (also listed on his own website) from a tasting done in 2015. He suggests the wine still has 5-7 years of life ahead. The original Wine Spectator review from 2000 was most enthusiastic and the wine not only got a 94 point review and a Spectator Selection nod, but was #22 in that year’s Top 100. The review said, “A wonderful, masterful wine. Both firm and opulent, it displays a nice dig into the Rhône terroir as it brings out wet earth, mineral and an interesting, chewy tannin structure. A high-voltage drinking experience, with lots of fruit, spice and mocha. Best from 2003 through 2020.”

It’s all of that. As to the wine lasting 5-7 more years, it certainly can. The question is whether one can leave it alone for that long. It is a rather spectacular drinking experience at its peak, with some 20 years of age already done for you. This is a rare opportunity for Chateauneuf lovers, a refined and beautifully poised example from a notable producer from one of the best vintages ever. As you probably guessed, quantities are finite. Good hunting.

2015 CHATEAUNEUF UPDATE

These are the ‘best of times’ when it comes to the southern Rhone. Yes, we have sold through a number of great vintages before. But we don’t ever remember a back-to-back quite like 2015 and 2016 in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Yet it’s hard to know even how to approach the current all-star lineup on the floor. We could quietly hum ‘these are a few of our favorite things’ because this lineup is stocked with a number of offerings that truly are favorites. Bosquet des Papes, Cristia Vielle Vignes, Saje and Bastide la Dominique all predominantly showcase gorgeous, sappy old-vine Grenache laced with complex spice and mineral unlike anywhere else on the planet. They remind one of a richer version of great Burgundy.

The still Grenache-heavy Pegau, Mayard Crau du Ma Mere, and Cristia Rennaissance offer variations on that theme with higher proportions of the other varietals like Mourvedre and Syrah that add lift, darker fruit notes, and different nuance to the mix. We could echo the campaign of a certain gas station snack area that claims ‘too much good stuff’, but this is so far beyond that. Let them eat nachos. We truly are proffering some of the best you can buy in an elite category from top producers in an excellent year.

If you are into reviews, this lineup has them in spades. If you haven’t seen an overall vintage report, here is an excerpt from Vinous’ Josh Raynolds entitled 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Power and Balance, “…While the 2015s are definitely on the rich side, they’re much more in the style of the 2009s than the superripe 2007s or the frequently roasted 2003s. Broadly speaking, I view 2015 as a cross between the richness of 2009 and the energy and structure of 2010, with the overall personality of the wines leaning closer to ’09 than to ’10. The best examples show serious depth along with very good definition and back-end vivacity, and little in the way of cooked-fruit character…”

In other words, what you have here is very tasty Chateauneuf from top producers. This lineup is also in the sweet spot, elite efforts where the prices aren’t crazy. The one thing that is difficult here is to make a mistake. This lineup is ‘all killer and no filler’, the only mistake being not grabbing some to enjoy now and ten years on.

If this is the toughest choice you have to make today…it’s a pretty special day. Here are some quick notes with full reviews below. Don’t miss these and good hunting! Quantities are definitely finite…

Bosquet Des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape Gloire De Mon Grand Pere 2015- “… Made from mostly (60-70 year old vine) Grenache… another beauty that’s up with the crème de las crème of the vintage. Kirsch, strawberries, dried flowers and spice notes give way to a full-bodied, supple, sexy red that has sweet tannin and a great finish. While it’s a big, rich wine, it glides across the palate and is never heavy. It should keep for 10-15 years. 95 points-“ Jeb Dunnuck

Bastide Dominique Chateauneuf du Pape Secrets De Pignan 2015- From vines planted in 1920, “…Coming from the Pignan lieu-dit, … just beside Rayas …it offers a beautiful, singular style in its blackberry, currant, leafy herbs, thyme, and olive scented bouquet. This carries to a full-bodied, sexy Grenache that has loads of fruit, terrific purity and a blockbuster finish…95 points”- Jeb Dunnuck

Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape Renaissance 2015-This has an intense core of crushed plum, raspberry and boysenberry fruit flavors, draped with melted licorice notes and backed by a wave of warm fruitcake. Hedonistic for sure, but accents of anise, violet and singed apple wood dart around, adding extra facets of intrigue to hold your attention. Grenache (60% from 100-yeaar old vines) and Mourvèdre (50 yr. old vines). ..96 points – Wine Spectator (also WA 95, JD 95)

Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes 2015- “…This delivers a lush, enticing blast of cassis and raspberry and boysenberry preserve flavors, carried by a silky structure that lets the fruit play out at length, giving adequate time for black tea, singed apple wood, dried anise and fruitcake notes to fill in throughout. Dreamy. Grenache (80-100 year old vines). –97 Points.” Wine Spectator (also JD 95)

Mayard Chateauneuf du Pape Crau De Ma Mere 2015- “… fabulous notes of strawberries, black cherries, saddle leather and garrigue. Full-bodied, impeccably balanced, concentrated and layered, it’s a terrific cuvée and is certainly one of the standouts in this vintage. It’s also the finest wine I’ve tasted from this estate…95 points– Jeb Dunnuck

Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee2015- “…A vintage compared to 2010 by Laurence, the 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape looks to be one of the big successes in the vintage. Possessing a ripe, rounded, sexy style backed up by solid density and concentration, it offers classic Pegau notes of currants, pepper, and cured meats. Big, rich, concentrated and beautifully textured, it offers a rare depth of fruit and richness in the vintage…95-97 Points“-Jeb Dunnuck

Saje Chateauneuf du Pape Marquis Anselme Mathieu 2015- “I enjoyed all of the wines from this estate, but I was blown away by the complexity and purity of the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Marquis Anselme Mathieu … Not only does it show beautiful cherry and stone fruit notes, it layers on hints of clove, allspice, garrigue and green peppercorn. There’s ample weight and texture on the palate, with the plush tannins drawing to a silky, spicy finish that lingers for minutes…96 Points!” – Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate

A NEW OPPORTUNITY ON SOME OLDER LA NERTHE CHATEAUNEUF

Over the years we have had the opportunity to observe all facets of the wine business. One thing that has always been a little quirky (OK, there are a lot of quirky things but that’s a piece for another day) is how older wines get distributed. People wonder where we get all of the older Bordeaux we come up with on a regular basis. The answer is simple…they are out there. They are out there because there is an established, rather vibrant market supported by the negociants from older stocks, library holdings of some sort from most of the top chateaux, ‘exchanges’ of sorts like the one called ‘Livex’ where dealers all over the world can trade among themselves, and of course auction houses where consumers can buy or sell personal holdings. That’s a lot of options, and no other genre has anything close to that.

For most everything else, one is relegated to finding older goods as they resurface in the auction market. The frequency with which things appear there has a lot to do with the goods themselves. Bordeaux and older domestic wines are most common because those are the most popular categories overall and fueled by a certain level of speculative buying. At the other end of the spectrum, you see very little from certain categories like Burgundy and Rhone because those buyer purchase such wines to drink and very few scenarios would motivate them to part with those wines. Very few of the producers themselves keep healthy back stocks for an extensive set of reasons we won’t get into here.

Our point here is that opportunities to buy older vintages of top quality Chateauneufs are rare by definition, and clearly something this rare and unique even more so. The Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf Du Pape 2007 was a remarkably delicious surprise that appeared before us very recently. You simply don’t see a lot of 10-year-old Chateauneuf from iconic vintages floating around out there, period, let alone with compelling reviews at palatable prices.

The wine is a textbook example of what a well-made Chateauneuf from a ripe vintage should be, a little bit of grilled herbs to the inviting nose of confectionary cherries, some spice and pepper woven into the lush, kirschy palate, resolved acidity, and resolved ripe tannins. The quality of this particular bottling was enhanced because the domaine chose not to bottle their reserve Cuvee Cadettes and added that juice to this cuvee. Why they would do that in a vintage of this caliber is anyone’s guess But that is the fact and clearly that took this wine to another level.

There are compelling notes from Robert Parker and a 93-point score back in issue 185 (October, 2009), but we’d suggest even more relevance to the notes from Jeb Dunnuck in a 10-year Chateauneuf retrospective in February of 2017, “Still youthful and not yet fully mature, the 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape (which includes all the grapes that would normally have gone into the declassified Cuvee Cadettes) is full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with a fresh, focused bouquet of cassis, licorice and charred meats. This cuvee always ages beautifully, and this is one of the more fresh, lively and focused 2007s out there–and it still has present tannin. It’s certainly enjoyable today but should be even better with a year or two of additional cellaring…94 points.”

Great older wine isn’t easy to get, great old Chateauneuf is super rare. So take the time to reward yourself for the holidays, or for whatever reason you want, with this very special edition of Chateau la Nerthe. Just don’t take too long (there’s not a lot).