– THE 2007 VINTAGE …
Writing of new-generation Australian grenache-based wines, London-based wine-writer Sarah Ahmed in 2015 summarises a viewpoint which helps explain the quality and appeal of the better Southern Rhone Valley wines:
So, the trick to great single varietal Grenache is to keep yields low and pick the right site in which case the winemakers I spoke to tell me that Grenache retains a low pH, even at riper levels, which helps rein in its tendency towards high alcohol. This high natural acidity together with the tannin structure which comes from old, dry grown bush vines results in ageworthy, balanced wines with great depth of character – an earthiness and more savoury and spice fruit characters as opposed to the bright fruit and florals of younger vines. … old, dry grown, low yielding vineyards [my added emphasis] ... Melton is emphatic that they are absolutely key to great Grenache. Why? Because the moment yields increase, the quality of Grenache drops off dramatically.
• Conclusions from the Tasting:
• Other authors on the Southern Rhone Valley:
• The Invitation – and background information for the district:
• Vintage Chart: The better Southern Rhone Valley vintages of the last ‘40’ years:
• Cepage: the Main Grapes:
• The essential Southern Rhone garrigue aroma / complexity factor:
• References:
• Acknowledgements:
• The Wines Reviewed:
Conclusions from the Tasting:
This tasting proved popular, not only because the supple velvety wines of the Southern Rhone Valley are well-liked, but also perhaps because rather many people do like the riper, ‘American-styled' vintages such as 2007. Whereas those to whom bouquet complexity is all important are somewhat guarded about these bigger, more alcoholic, wines. In the event, there turned out to be an intriguing range of wine styles, such that 10 of the 12 wines ranked as at least one taster’s favourite. Intriguingly, eight of the 12 wines also rated as at least one taster’s least favourite. These two parameters indicate the range of wine styles. There was no clear top wine, and bearing in mind this was a Chateauneuf-du-Pape celebration tasting, the wine just inching ahead as wine of the night (by one vote) was the Australian. I attribute this to its familiarity: the (in this case, relatively subtle) mint going on euc'y lift on bouquet, which many New Zealanders, long accustomed to Australian reds, now mostly enjoy. Though there is a significant percentage of tasters who strongly dislike this character.
In terms of the style of the wines, for me they divided into two camps. At best, there were those that show relatively little sign of a long, dry, warm and sunny vintage, the wines still being fresh, and fragrant and floral to a degree. Conversely, there were several wines where the fruit character was much more traditional baked plum or raspberry jam-tart rather than fresh berries or fresh jam. I marked these down. Two long-experienced tasters with trade experience were at pains to suggest these wines had acquired their over-ripe somewhat baked character by misadventure in transit, specifically loss of temperature control in the shipping container, post-bottling. I am not totally convinced, given the American wine-writers predilection for big, ripe to over-ripe, and alcoholic wines. Tasters from more temperate viticultural regions can find such wines over-ripe, or otherwise lacking in florality, subtlety and charm. At this distance in time and place, the matter is hard to resolve, but given the reputation of the wines, and the 2007 Clos des Papes in particular, this result was disappointing. One relevant factor is that the three wines objected to for this possible failing, come into New Zealand via three separate importers. Since New Zealand wine importers rarely if ever share refrigerated container space among themselves, the likelihood of three containers failing in much the same import season seems to me less likely. These riper, more alcoholic wines are noticeably less food-friendly, too … unless (as noted) one is habituated to them – as many warm-climate people are. One only needs to look at average alcohols in Australian wines.
The reviews below present my individual views, not the consensus of the 21 tasters. I do however give an indication of tasters’ views. From the consumer point of view, where ‘affordable’ special bottles are desired, the lesson from this tasting was: in terms of nett pleasure at table, in a hotter year, sometimes the more affordable wines, standard bottlings and the like, can be fresher, more fragrant and more food-friendly than the prestige cuvées, which often include old-vine fruit, greater ripeness, and new oak exposure. This was shown to perfection by the Grand Veneur trio of Chateauneuf-du-Papes, where the standard Chateauneuf-du-Pape was a fresh and fragrant delight, showing no signs of over-ripe-year distress, whereas Les Origines to a degree, and the rare Vieilles Vignes, were both less fresh and aromatic, and less appealing. Unfortunately the Vieilles Vignes had to be excluded from the group tasting, due to TCA, but the present assessment looks through that factor. One of the Reserve wines, the Cuvée du Vatican Reserve bottling, was substituted.
Other authors on the Southern Rhone Valley:
A key aspect to this tasting is: we have five wines marked 96 or more by Robert Parker and associates. And one of them, 2007 Clos des Papes, has won that ultimate accolade, 100 points from the Parker team, with RP himself saying: “It is unquestionably one of the great Chateauneufs of my lifetime.” John Livingstone-Learmonth, now the ultimate authority on the wines of both the Northern and Southern Rhone Valleys, is not quite so keen, across the board. This no doubt reflects more the general European view on the 2007s, that some are a bit big and too ripe and alcoholic, but nonetheless J.L-L has two rated ****(*) or *****. For Parker's 100-point Clos des Papes, J.L-L is *****, noting that he marks out of six stars –an accolade rarely given.
Parker in his heyday had both a fantastic grip of the Rhone Valley wines, witness his marvellous book from 1997, but also loved the wines dearly (even when they were noticeably bretty). With John Livingstone-Learmonth too, you are left in no doubt that both authors love the wines of this region. This gives them both an endearing credibility. In contrast Jancis Robinson, despite occasional high marks, scarcely conceals the thought that the wines of the Southern Rhone Valley are mostly not her personal favourites, and her associates seem hell-bent on following her lead, rather than redressing the balance from her tending-detached approach to this region. In the sense one cannot subscribe to all wine-writers, now that wine websites are multiplying like rabbits, that leaves James Molesworth at Wine Spectator. He has been reporting steadily on them for more than 10 years now, and his vintage chart summaries are the best in the business. His wine reviews offer consistency, but a vocabulary that tends to the arcane / doesn’t communicate well to the non-American reader. Plus he (too) reflects a distressingly American consumerist short-term view for the life expectancies of these wines.
The Invitation – and background information for the district:
The first tasting in our Chateauneuf Celebration centres on the ripe and generous 2007 vintage. It also coincides with the point when Robert Parker had achieved the zenith of his influence on world wine matters. The 2007 Chateauneufs were big, and he liked them. Parker, 2008: “It is the vintage of my lifetime for this region, and I don’t say that lightly. These 2007s will also be very long-lived given their extraordinary balance.” and Parker, 2009: “This is a truly historic and profoundly great vintage.”
Jeb Dunnuck reviewed the 2007 Southern Rhone Valley wines at the 10-year point, 2017 (in www.robertparker.com, and makes some useful points (paraphrased):
# … in their infancy, both from barrel, and then from bottle the following year … they showed a huge amount of fruit, concentration and textural richness ... they also possessed singular aromatics (which is one of the hallmarks of the vintage), incredible complexity and a purity of fruit that was hard to believe.
# 2007 was a cooler than normal vintage that featured warm days and cool nights.
# There were no heat spikes, with only 34 days above 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius).
# 2016 was one of the driest vintages since 1871.
# 2016 was an exceptionally sunny vintage … in the same ballpark as 2010.
And we must remember that Parker is on record as saying that when it comes to wine for drinking at home, the Southern Rhone Valley is his favourite district. He added a postscript to Dunnuck’s 2017 article (paraphrased):
“In my 39 years of tasting, three vintages stand out for their greatness and singularity … 1982 Bordeaux, 1990 Barolo and Barbaresco, and 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I bought as much of these vintages as I could afford … and how steady and reassuringly the greatest 2007 Chateauneufs have evolved. … characterized by great opulence and plush textures that often hid significant structure and tannin.”
In contrast to a degree, Wine Spectator takes a quite clinical view of the wine world in their Vintage Charts. They have revised their view of the 2007 Southern Rhone vintage a little, so that 2007 at 95 is now fractionally less than 2016, 2015, 2010, 2005, 1998, 1989, and is now matched with 1990 (for recent years). But one has to make the caveat, that Americans like the big ripe years such as 1990 and 1998 (and probably 2007, notwithstanding Dunnuck’s notes) more than the Europeans do. Again, Wine Spectator summarises the 2007 vintage with just the right note of caution as: “Ripe, rich, powerful reds thanks to long Indian summer at harvest-time. Grenache is heady and rich; Mourvèdre and Cinsault are key for balance. Best are hedonistic delights; though some are over-the-top.”
As mentioned, the tasting includes 2007 Clos des Papes, the winery now regarded by many as the definitive Chateauneuf, if one favours elegance – though that assessment will need to change, as the new styling for Ch de Beaucastel beds in. Robert Parker’s view on this wine is: ”It is unquestionably one of the great Chateauneufs of my lifetime, and I suspect it will merit a three digit score after another 3-4 years of cellaring.” Another feature of the tasting is the opportunity to compare three of the (then) four main Chateauneuf-du-Pape cuvées from Domaine Grand Veneur, an up-and-coming winery for which Livingstone-Learmonth rates the Vieilles Vignes (only 350 cases all told) particularly highly. The base wine is more traditional in upbringing, whereas Les Origines and Vieilles Vignes both have new oak. And any tasting of a declared Vieilles Vignes Chateauneuf is of interest – even though when you check, most of our wines contain significant ‘old-vine’ material. [ In the event, the desire to have the three Grand Veneurs was thwarted by TCA, in the Vieilles Vignes.] The Charles Melton wine from Australia is included for fun, for interest, and maybe to illustrate some differences in the Australian approach to wine-making. His Nine Popes is particularly highly regarded in Australia. I have used the 2006 because Halliday, in his Vintage Chart for Australia, regards 2006 as a ‘perfect’ vintage 10/10 for the Barossa Valley, vs 2007 at 7.
Recent Vintages in the Southern Rhone Valley:
The essential character of the main Southern Rhone Valley vintages over the last 40 years (the in-fact useful life-span of good examples of these wine-styles, in a cool cellar) is summarised in the Table.
Table 1: The better Southern Rhone Valley vintages of the last '40' years:
| YEAR | Broadbent | Wine Advocate | Wine Spectator | Summarised / paraphrased comments |
| 1976 | ** to **** | – | – | B: hot dry summer, potentially ripe and concentrated wines, but late Sept. rain reduced cellaring potential |
| 1978 | ***** | 97R | – | B: best since 1911, big, tannic, rich; J.L-L absolute reference year |
| 1983 | ***** | 87C | – | B: excellent, rich, concentrated, hard tannins have softened |
| 1985 | ***** | 88R | – | B: outstanding reds, rich, long-lasting |
| 1989 | ****½ | 94T | 96 | B: Chateauneuf particularly successful, rich complete reds; WS: powerful concentrated reds, round tannins |
| 1990 | ***** | 95E | 95 | B: less aromatic than 1989, powerful, promising; WS: massive wines, great concentration. GK: too like ‘98 |
| 1995 | ****½ | 90T | 90 | B: comparable with 1990; WS: tannic reds, Chateauneufs improving beautifully |
| 1998 | ***** | 98E | 97 | B: best since 1990; WS: dense, rich, superb grenache, ripe tannins GK: too warm for fragrant / floral wines |
| 1999 | ****½ | 90E | 90 | B: south less than north; WS: syrah and mourvedre wines better than grenache-dominant. GK: fragrant, elegant wines, perfect now |
| 2000 | – | 98E | 94 | WS: powerful rich ripe reds with silky tannins |
| 2001 | – | 96T | 92 | WS: great vintage with structured racy reds in Chateauneuf |
| 2003 | – | 90I | 93 | WS: very hot dry year, best superb, but some inconsistency |
| 2005 | – | 95T | 97 | WS: great concentration, structure, should rival '98 and '90. GK: high alcohols |
| 2006 | – | 92R | 93 | WS: ripe, pure, balanced, fresh, like 1999 but more concentrated |
| 2007 | – | 98E | 95 | WS: ripe rich powerful reds, some grenache over-ripe, mourvedre key for balance. GK: over-ripe aromas/flavours in some wines, high alcohols detract |
| 2009 | – | 93E | 94 | WS: Warm dry year, cool nights retained acid, pure fruit and polished tannins. GK: high alcohols |
| 2010 | – | 98T | 98 | WS: Reduced crop, warm days, cool nights, beautifully ripe racy wines for aging, the spine of '05 with extra flesh. GK: more fragrant than ‘09, alcohols still high |
| 2012 | – | 92E | 93 | WS: small crop, grenache year, ripe flavours, well-balanced |
| 2015 | – | 93T | 97 | WS: warm, dry, then Aug rain. Reds rich, ripe, powerful, in style of ‘09, ‘07, but better definition. GK: high alcohols |
| 2016 | – | 98E | 99 | WS: Exceptional diurnal variation, truly rare vintage – the new benchmark. Reds rich yet racy and fresh. GK: ‘cooler’ / more fragrant than ‘15, alcohols still too high, but an 'investment' year. www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz |
Table compiled from Broadbent (to 2002), Parker (rated 90 or more, from 1970, where T = Tannic / youthful, E = Early / accessible, I = Irregular, and C means Caution, may be too old), Wine Spectator (90 or more, from 1988), and John Livingstone-Learmonth (for checking detail). Some personal thoughts now added.
Cepage: the Main Grapes:
The main red grapes of the district are grenache, syrah, mourvedre, vaccarese, counoise, cinsaut and carignan. Some appellations permit whites in the red. Few winemakers use them. Grenache is far and away the dominant and traditional variety of the region. It tends to be a low-tannin variety, ripens late often with high sugars and thus alcohol, and is characterised by aromas of raspberry and cinnamon. The resulting wine-style is in a sense reminiscent of spirity pinot noir. Unlike pinot noir, grenache hides alcohol freakishly well, such that wines up to 15% may be quite acceptable. Either syrah or mourvedre is the next most important in quality terms. Both add darker berry notes and complexity, and (from syrah) perhaps hints of florals and black pepper / spice, though the climate is against the more subtle floral and aromatic characteristics of syrah. Mourvedre is more finicky, and harder to ripen, but in the great years may the more noble of the two in this district, particularly in its tannin structure, but also its dark berry flavours. Wines with a higher percentage of mourvedre cellar well. Of the lesser varieties, vaccarese is floral and aromatic at best, counoise can contribute acid, cinsaut is a pretty, pale, early-maturing variety reminiscent of pinot meunier (and widely used for rosé), while carignan is a robust productive well-coloured grape making hearty wines which are good in youth, but don't age well. Its best use is in vin de pays and the like.
The essential Southern Rhone garrigue aroma / complexity factor in red wine:
What is this characteristic aroma that people talk about in the wines of the Southern Rhone Valley ? The term ‘garrigue’ refers to the low shrubby vegetation of the hills and forelands of the peri-Mediterranean district. Many of the component plants of this scrub have essential oils, which are volatile in hot weather. The vegetation type is known as maquis or garrigue. It is analogous to manuka and kanuka short scrub in North Auckland, in that it spreads over areas formerly forested. When you push through it on a sunny day, there is this wonderful essential oil smell – from bruised leaves. The Mediterranean zone being drier than New Zealand, however, the vegetation type is now semi-permanent there. Characteristic plants contributing to the fragrant garrigue aroma are:
| rosemary: Rosmarinus officinalis lavender: Lavandula stoechas sage: Salvia officinalis salvia: other species of Salvia thyme: Thymus vulgaris oregano: Origanum vulgare | myrtle: Myrtus communis juniper: several species of Juniperus fennel: Foeniculum vulgare rockrose: Cistus monspeliensis pinks: several species of Dianthus |
References:
Broadbent, Michael 2002: Michael Broadbent’s Vintage Wine. Harcourt, 560 p.
Broadbent, Michael 2003: Michael Broadbent’s Wine Vintages. Mitchell Beazley, 223 p.
Karis, Harry 2009: The Chateauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book. Kavino, 488 p.
Parker, Robert 1997: Wines of the Rhone Valley. Simon & Schuster, 685 p.
Parker, Robert 2002: Parker's Wine Buyers Guide Sixth Edition. Simon & Schuster, 1,648 p.
www.jancisrobinson.com = Jancis Robinson MW and Julia Harding MW, subscription needed for reviews
www.robertparker.com = Robert Parker but now more associates, vintage chart, subscription needed for reviews
https://thewinedetective.co.uk = Sarah Ahmed, 2015: From Roussillon with love: Australian Grenache.
www.winespectator.com = exceptionally good vintage chart, subscription needed for reviews
ww.drinkrhone.com = John Livingstone-Learmonth, J. L-L below, subscription needed for reviews
www.winecompanion.com.au = James Halliday, but increasingly associates, subscription needed for both reviews and the vintage chart.
Acknowledgements:
I particularly thank Ian Clark for facilitating, and Sir George Fistonich for authorising, the use of the delightful Boardroom at Villa Maria headquarters, for these two Library Tastings. Extensive use has been made of the vast information resource in John Livingstone-Learmonth's website, as above, plus Jancis Robinson. Reviews from the Robert Parker website mainly, and Wine Spectator, are also included, to achieve pan-Atlantic judging balance.
THE WINES REVIEWED:
The initial price given is the wine-searcher value in 2019. Purchase price where known follows in the text.
These 2007 wines varied considerably in both their depth of colour, and in their relative hue / age, but as a set, they looked surprisingly youthful for their age. The subtleties of hue do not reproduce well, the image on paper losing translucency in the liquid, at the non-professional level of photography. With even pours, and a high-quality tungsten light source, and counting from the left, wine 4 in the front row, the 2006 Charles Melton Nine Popes was the deepest wine in the set, and one of the reddest / most youthful, closely followed in depth by wine 9 the 2007 Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines. Les Origines is noticeably older in hue than the less-oaked base-wine 2007 Grand Veneur, in position 7 (back row). At the lighter end of the 12, both wine 2 the lightest, 2007 Vieux Telegraphe, and wine 5, the second to lightest 2007 Clos des Papes, were wines where doubts were expressed about temperature control in shipping, but there seems little likelihood of a colour-correlation, since the third such doubtful wine, the 2007 Mordorée in position 3, was one of the deepest. None of these three were in the fresher-hued half of the set, however. The tasting was unusual in that there was a poor correlation between the characters (descriptors) tasters found in the glasses, and the words which the Northern Hemisphere wine-writers used to describe them. One would like to both taste these wines untravelled, in the Northern Hemisphere, and taste alongside the main wine-writers, to learn just what characters they have in mind for their descriptors. For many writers, from long study, one does not feel that they use words consistently. For example, in the wine notes in this report, one writer uses the term ‘Marmite’ to describe a “beef stock” character … whereas Marmite is a yeast (ie plant)-derived product. A ‘Bovril’ or ‘Oxo’ analogy would make better sense, to a scientifically-trained person. In a sense, wines from Bordeaux have a more consistent world-wide vocabulary.
Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $135 [ cork 50mm, ullage 19mm; original price c.$45; certified biodynamic since 1999; no oak in the winery at all, apparently; 80% Gr c.80 years old, Mv 20 c.40 years, cropped at 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; all de-stemmed, cuvaison to 28 days, 18 – 24 months in concrete vats; some filtering, production c.3,300 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2009: Light pepper first nose, reductive, gummy, earthy and some raspberry fruit. Temporary red fruit on the palate – light and uninteresting. This is a Cotes du Rhone level wine, very modest. There is a sweet, toffee sign-off. To 2014, *(*); JD@RP, 2017: Spice, mature red fruits, kirsch and mulled blackberry notes emerge from the medium-bodied, supple, forward and fully mature 2007 Terres des Aines. To 2019, 87; www.montirius.com ]
A lovely fresh ruby and velvet, one of the redder wines, but the third lightest. The bouquet is wonderfully fresh, pink-roses-floral and aromatic, showing beautiful berry character and all the charm of mourvedre when not over-ripened. The whole bouquet has no hint of over-ripeness at all. Palate is equally beautiful, fresh, aromatic, beautiful tannin balance, illustrating to perfection that so often, grenache is impaired by new oak. This wine sees no wood at all, which at higher quality levels may handicap even a Southern Rhone wine, if certain vintages of latter-day Domaine Charvin are any guide. The wine also illustrates to perfection that in a number of instances, the better wines of Gigondas today may display some of the more attractive, even beautiful, features of yesteryear's Chateauneuf-du-Papes, before the trend to greater ripeness, higher alcohols, and more new oak. This Montirius shows the no-oak approach can be very successful. Two tasters had this as their first or second wine. A lovely wine totally atypical of the 2007 vintage; cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19
A lovely fresh ruby and velvet, one of the redder wines, but the third lightest. The bouquet is wonderfully fresh, pink-roses-floral and aromatic, showing beautiful berry character and all the charm of mourvedre when not over-ripened. The whole bouquet has no hint of over-ripeness at all. Palate is equally beautiful, fresh, aromatic, beautiful tannin balance, illustrating to perfection that so often, grenache is impaired by new oak. This wine sees no wood at all, which at higher quality levels may handicap even a Southern Rhone wine, if certain vintages of latter-day Domaine Charvin are any guide. The wine also illustrates to perfection that in a number of instances, the better wines of Gigondas today may display some of the more attractive, even beautiful, features of yesteryear's Chateauneuf-du-Papes, before the trend to greater ripeness, higher alcohols, and more new oak. This Montirius shows the no-oak approach can be very successful. Two tasters had this as their first or second wine. A lovely wine totally atypical of the 2007 vintage; cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19
Cairanne, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $24 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$27; Gr c.100 years 85 - 90%, Sy 5-10, Mv 5; the domaine biodynamic, certification gained 2007; cropping rate at c.3.5 t/ha (1.4 t/ac) is significantly less than the regionally permitted 5.85 t/ha ( 2.4 t/ac); cuvaison 30 days with wild yeasts, elevation the Gr in vat, Sy and Mv in barrel; access to these grapes now lost; J.L-L, 2011: Smoky, latent, promising nose – it shows charm, and is thorough, measured, has the red plum air of Grenache, nice and round – very good now. The palate is charming, real good fruit in it as it rounds out well. Excellent, thorough fruit and STGT in nature. Great length. Menthol, lavender finish. Classy, authentic. 2017-18, ****; Wine Spectator, 2009: Dense but pure, with alluring black tea and mesquite aromas up front, followed by dark, macerated currant, fig and plum fruit. Hints of ganache and espresso frame the finish, which is supple and lengthy. To 2011, 400 cases, 91; www.domainelesaphillanthes.fr ]
This too was one of the red and fresher wines, ruby and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is more floral and less aromatic than the Montirius Gigondas, but like it showing wonderful freshness, and no sign of the over-ripe / over-weight syndrome that diminishes too many 2007s. There are nearly red roses here, thoughts of pinot noir. Again, the grenache component sees no oak, and the wine is the better for it. Palate is beautifully fresh, the syrah aromatic and floral, speaking out far more than the cepage percentage would suggest. The oak handling on the syrah and mourvedre components is totally simpatico, the result food-friendly and attractive. This is ‘merely’ Cairanne, but cropped more conservatively than some Chateauneuf-du-Papes, by a great grower. The result is clearly better than many Chateauneuf-du-Papes, the whole wine both a delight, and great value. Five tasters had this as their top or second wine. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19
This too was one of the red and fresher wines, ruby and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is more floral and less aromatic than the Montirius Gigondas, but like it showing wonderful freshness, and no sign of the over-ripe / over-weight syndrome that diminishes too many 2007s. There are nearly red roses here, thoughts of pinot noir. Again, the grenache component sees no oak, and the wine is the better for it. Palate is beautifully fresh, the syrah aromatic and floral, speaking out far more than the cepage percentage would suggest. The oak handling on the syrah and mourvedre components is totally simpatico, the result food-friendly and attractive. This is ‘merely’ Cairanne, but cropped more conservatively than some Chateauneuf-du-Papes, by a great grower. The result is clearly better than many Chateauneuf-du-Papes, the whole wine both a delight, and great value. Five tasters had this as their top or second wine. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $128 [ cork 50mm, ullage 22mm; original price c.$75; one of the younger Chateauneuf wineries, starting in 1974, this their top wine; Gr 90%, average age 100 years, Sy 10. 100% destemming, long cuvaison to 35 days in some vintages; the Gr vat-aged, the Sy 14 months in French oak 10% (sometimes more) new; production 500 x 9-L cases; J.L-L, 2007: The bouquet is knit together – has a gourmand nature, being ample and thorough, based on black berries or cherries that are ripe ... somewhat “post modern”. Holds a ripe cast of black fruit on the palate, black stone fruits … Ends quite roundly, with its tannins ripe and largely infused. There is plenty of power here – is a muscular wine with a smooth coating delivered in the modern style, to 2029, ***(*); JD@RP, 2016: ... classic, Provencal notes of dried herbs, sweet black cherries, black licorice and crushed rock. Big, full-bodied, beautifully textured and mouth-filling, to 2026, 94; www.domainegiraud.fr ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, one of the older colours, midway in depth. Bouquet is quite different on this, the wine clearly much riper than the top two, the alcohol showing a little more. Yet it gets away with it. There is a lot of fruit, darkest plum, a hint of moist prunes (in the most subtle, appealing way), trace vanillin from a hint of newish oak, yet it doesn't have the over-ripe baked jam-tart character so many 2007s have. The palate is simply staggering, a wonderful fleshy richness which must be well above 30 g/L in dry extract, and now yes, there is a suggestion of over-ripeness, just a hint as in the dark cherries in a Black Forest gateau, yet the wine still seems fresh. Hence its high mark. Tannin balance is a little firmer than the top wines: this is a really big wine ... as if it were designated Vieilles Vignes. Tasters liked this wine, with three first places, and one second. It will cellar for many years, on its richness, 10 – 20 or more. GK 10/19
Ruby, garnet and velvet, one of the older colours, midway in depth. Bouquet is quite different on this, the wine clearly much riper than the top two, the alcohol showing a little more. Yet it gets away with it. There is a lot of fruit, darkest plum, a hint of moist prunes (in the most subtle, appealing way), trace vanillin from a hint of newish oak, yet it doesn't have the over-ripe baked jam-tart character so many 2007s have. The palate is simply staggering, a wonderful fleshy richness which must be well above 30 g/L in dry extract, and now yes, there is a suggestion of over-ripeness, just a hint as in the dark cherries in a Black Forest gateau, yet the wine still seems fresh. Hence its high mark. Tannin balance is a little firmer than the top wines: this is a really big wine ... as if it were designated Vieilles Vignes. Tasters liked this wine, with three first places, and one second. It will cellar for many years, on its richness, 10 – 20 or more. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $44 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm, original price c.$65; this is their standard Chateauneuf, in a hierarchy then of four, three in this tasting including the top one [later: not achieved – TCA]; according to Leve, Domaine Giraud was the first property in the district to experiment with new French oak, in 1986. Information is sketchy about this standard wine, but understood to be Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10; elevation 18 months mostly in vat 80%, and some barrels, no new oak mentioned, production c.3,600 x 9-litre cases; JR@JR, 2008: Very rich and headily floral on the nose with rather tight dry tannins. Perhaps just slightly too ambitious? Certainly not relaxed! Very dry finish, to 2015, 16; RP@RP, 2009: dense, full-bodied wine ... with notes of graphite, blackberries, and cassis. With a sumptuous, layered, full-bodied texture, sweet, velvety tannins, and zesty freshness as well as acidity ... to 2023, 91; www.vignobles-alain-jaume.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly the youngest and freshest colour, the third deepest. This is another wine where the syrah component really shines on bouquet, a lovely florality and near-cassisy berry, equally good freshness and charm, plus garrigue savoury complexity, and total purity. Palate is most unusual, light in one sense, almost big pinot noir except for the tannin structure, and magnificent freshness: another wine with no hint of the 2007 over-ripeness malaise. Yet again, the magic of little or no new oak cries out for recognition here: grenache so often simply cannot take much oak, if beauty in the wine, freshness, and suitability for food matching are the criteria. And this wine is given as 15%, showing yet again the magical ability of grenache to hide alcohol. I thought this ‘standard’ wine clearly more pleasurable as a food wine than the more expensive Les Origines, and particularly the Vieilles Vignes [tasted separately]. Two tasters rated this their top wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
Ruby and velvet, clearly the youngest and freshest colour, the third deepest. This is another wine where the syrah component really shines on bouquet, a lovely florality and near-cassisy berry, equally good freshness and charm, plus garrigue savoury complexity, and total purity. Palate is most unusual, light in one sense, almost big pinot noir except for the tannin structure, and magnificent freshness: another wine with no hint of the 2007 over-ripeness malaise. Yet again, the magic of little or no new oak cries out for recognition here: grenache so often simply cannot take much oak, if beauty in the wine, freshness, and suitability for food matching are the criteria. And this wine is given as 15%, showing yet again the magical ability of grenache to hide alcohol. I thought this ‘standard’ wine clearly more pleasurable as a food wine than the more expensive Les Origines, and particularly the Vieilles Vignes [tasted separately]. Two tasters rated this their top wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $97 [ cork 50mm, ullage 15mm; original price c.$90; Gr 50%, Sy 30, Mv 20, from the famous La Crau plateau; nomenclature has become a problem at this Estate, owned by the Diffonty family. It used to be simply Cuvée du Vatican, an old-style grenache-dominated powerful wine raised in foudre for 24 months. With the change of the generations came stainless steel, new oak, and consequently a change of winestyle, but still labelled Cuvée du Vatican. This did not meet with universal approval, among the more traditional clients. Accordingly the Diffontys then made two wines, the traditional old-oak wine labelled Cuvée du Vatican, and the new-oak modern wine made from the oldest vines, labelled Cuvée du Vatican Sixtine Reserve. This too created confusion: Robert Parker records that from the 2010 vintage there are to be three wines. The top wine is Ch Sixtine Chateauneuf-du-Pape, made from old vines, with some new oak; then next the Manus Dei de Sixtine Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and finally a commercial wine which may include bought-in grapes or juice, named Cuvée du Vatican. So what was originally first, is now last. Our wine is the top wine, from the intermediate interval, labelled Cuvée du Vatican Reserve Sixtine. It is Gr 50%, Sy 30, Mv 20, cropped at 24 hl/ha = 31 t/ha = 1.25 t/ac, hand-picking, de-stemming, fermentation in s/s. Much of the grenache at least is raised in vat, the syrah and mourvedre in 228-litre barrels new to four years old. Production 1,695 x 9-litre cases. R. Parker, 2009: The blockbuster 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Sixtine ... a sensational perfume of camphor, graphite, black currants, black cherries, licorice, and smoke. Built like a young Bordeaux with its tannic structure, this full-bodied, intensely flavored wine reveals a meaty character in the mouth. As with most vintages since 1998, the 2007 requires cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028+, 94; J.L-L, 2008: a full, beefy aroma – it is wide and profound, without being forced, and is very constant. There is a sense of beef stock (Marmite), and a small trail of licorice and smoke late on. The palate is wide and thorough: it holds robust, muscular fruit ... its appeal comes from its mix of bright, elegant fruit and intrinsic depth and power. It has an aromatic aftertaste, and can really sing. 2024-26, *****; www.chateau-sixtine.com ]
[ This was one of the Reserve wines, substituted for the 2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes.] Ruby and velvet, one of the redder, fresher colours. This wine has an extraordinary purity to it, wonderfully fragrant (though lifted by alcohol), yet not exactly floral, just Southern Rhone Valley berry charm with a touch of savoury garrigue. Palate tastes as if the wine should be mostly grenache, but it isn’t, and again there is beautiful oak handling, understated, augmenting the wine. Though light in initial fruit impression, there is deceptive length and aromatic depth here too. The whole wine has a freshness atypical of the 2007s. One taster had this as their top wine, plus four second-places. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
[ This was one of the Reserve wines, substituted for the 2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes.] Ruby and velvet, one of the redder, fresher colours. This wine has an extraordinary purity to it, wonderfully fragrant (though lifted by alcohol), yet not exactly floral, just Southern Rhone Valley berry charm with a touch of savoury garrigue. Palate tastes as if the wine should be mostly grenache, but it isn’t, and again there is beautiful oak handling, understated, augmenting the wine. Though light in initial fruit impression, there is deceptive length and aromatic depth here too. The whole wine has a freshness atypical of the 2007s. One taster had this as their top wine, plus four second-places. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $98 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm, original price c.$75; Gr 50% c. 70 years, Mv 30, Sy 20, sometimes other minor vars; this label introduced 1997; cuvaison to 21 days; elevation Gr in vat, Sy and Mv in new to 4-year-old 228s up to 16 months; some filtering, organic, production this year c.3,000 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2009: Good spherical nose – attractive black fruit, minor and agreeable sweetness, has depth, is young, ends with a bosky snap. Charming blackberry fruit on the palate – well-balanced, pretty length. This is nice and wholesome, its fruit well-defined. The end is quite fresh, shows some tannic support there. Not a head banger, a measured 2007, thank goodness - the Mourvedre has played its 2007 role well, to 2031; ****; WS, 2009: Solid, with a mix of red and black currant fruit held together with notes of pastis, licorice and violet. A good dash of grip on the finish keeps this honest. Opens nicely in the glass. Drink now through 2019. 3,000 cases made, 92; www.vignobles-alain-jaume.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of garnet, the second deepest. Bouquet is big, clean, sweet, but here just a hint of the 2007 over-ripeness creeping in, the difference between smelling carefully-made raspberry jam, and contrasting that with baked raspberry jam-tart. There is a touch of new-oak aroma too. In mouth the wine is rich, nearly succulent, with good tannin framework yet not intruding too much, and considerable length, the flavours darkly plummy, a hint of moist prune, alcohol noticeable. This is still just on the right side of the 2007 over-ripe line. No top places, but two second. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of garnet, the second deepest. Bouquet is big, clean, sweet, but here just a hint of the 2007 over-ripeness creeping in, the difference between smelling carefully-made raspberry jam, and contrasting that with baked raspberry jam-tart. There is a touch of new-oak aroma too. In mouth the wine is rich, nearly succulent, with good tannin framework yet not intruding too much, and considerable length, the flavours darkly plummy, a hint of moist prune, alcohol noticeable. This is still just on the right side of the 2007 over-ripe line. No top places, but two second. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $125 [ cork 49mm, ullage 18mm; original cost $65; Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, balance minor varieties, 75% of the vines more than 80 years old; 18 – 25 days cuvaison, 50% destemming (particularly the Mv), co-fermentation, cuvaison to 25 days; elevation c.18 months in large old wood; not fined, lightly filtered; production c.4,000 x 9-litre cases; moreso even than Domaine Charvin and Clos des Papes, each with their ‘Cotes du Rhone’ (or equivalent) junior wines, Vieux Donjon makes only one red Chateauneuf, one white. As with the other two, this means the buyer is getting the essence of the place; Philippe Cambie consults; J.L-L, 2011: Really wide, also sweet spread across the nose, plum as in Grenache, with cocoa and slightly meaty notes, an intense black berry. The nose is showing some game notes now. The palate is tighter than the nose, comes with ripe tannin sides, a flavour of chicken stock in the plum fruit with liqueur style late notes, a hallmark of this big vintage. It is fat towards the finish. It ends on herbs, thyme, baked notes. This is never going to be a subtle wine. To 2028, ****(*); JD@RP, 2014: Up there with the 2010 in terms of quality, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape dishes out loads of plum, lavender, ground pepper and licorice in its full-bodied, ripe and layered profile. Possessing a rock-star texture, no hard edges and beautiful concentration, it’s drinking nicely now, and should continue to evolve gracefully for another decade. To 2024, 96; the website: www.levieuxdonjon.fr is (still !) merely a holding page: good summary at: www.chateauneuf.dk/en/cdpen58.htm ]
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of garnet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is slightly unusual on this wine, a complex aromatic quality which a winemaker likened to a hint of smoke taint. It is almost completely buried in rich berryfruit again showing just a suggestion of the 2007 over-ripe jam-tart character. In mouth the fruit richness is exemplary, helped by the relatively lower alcohol, and no noticeable oak at all. Yet the wine has beautiful tannin structure. As so often, Vieux Donjon is appealing Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Tasters liked this wine, three first places, two second. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of garnet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is slightly unusual on this wine, a complex aromatic quality which a winemaker likened to a hint of smoke taint. It is almost completely buried in rich berryfruit again showing just a suggestion of the 2007 over-ripe jam-tart character. In mouth the fruit richness is exemplary, helped by the relatively lower alcohol, and no noticeable oak at all. Yet the wine has beautiful tannin structure. As so often, Vieux Donjon is appealing Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Tasters liked this wine, three first places, two second. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $78 [ cork 50mm, ullage 9mm; original price c.$95 (ie, expensive relative to overseas); Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, others 5; all bought-in as juice or wine; average vine age 50 years; average cropping 3.8 t/ha (1.6 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; elevation 24 months most say, but the Guigal website implies 36 months in large wood, no vat percentage stated, but again, likely not all in foudre given the volume made; percentage new oak not known but the wine tastes as if some; production c. 15,000 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2013: Inky, blackberry air, the fruit ripe, prune – the bouquet isn’t yet fully open. The palate is tightly wrapped, with its fruit peeping out from a canopy of tannin. Has attractive late spicing. A sturdy, enclosed wine, with only a little juice emerging from its finish. It is grounded, very terrestrial ... There is black raisin in the aftertaste. Not a charming wine, to 2031, ***(*); RP@RP, 2012: on this vintage: It is amazing that Guigal can consistently produce a wine of this majesty; JD@RP, 2017: One of the finest Chateauneuf du Papes made from this iconic estate is easily the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape. ... full-bodied, Provencal, incredibly perfumed notes of lavender, garrigue, bloody meat, licorice and sweet Grenache fruit. Pure, polished and layered on the palate, with ultra fine tannin ..., to 2032, 93; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is almost a caricature of desirable southern Rhone Valley wine attributes, very fragrant, beautiful garrigue aromatics, lovely berry / oak interaction in the Guigal style, maybe the minutest trace of savoury brett complexity. Palate follows harmoniously, freshly berried, supple on the lower alcohol, surprising length on the older oak, palate-weight tending lighter in the company. As so often with Guigal wines, this example in effect captures the essence of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine style, so it had to be number one in the lineup, as a ‘sighter’ to the 12 in the blind tasting. Nonetheless tasters ranked the wine well, two first places, two second. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/19
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is almost a caricature of desirable southern Rhone Valley wine attributes, very fragrant, beautiful garrigue aromatics, lovely berry / oak interaction in the Guigal style, maybe the minutest trace of savoury brett complexity. Palate follows harmoniously, freshly berried, supple on the lower alcohol, surprising length on the older oak, palate-weight tending lighter in the company. As so often with Guigal wines, this example in effect captures the essence of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine style, so it had to be number one in the lineup, as a ‘sighter’ to the 12 in the blind tasting. Nonetheless tasters ranked the wine well, two first places, two second. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/19
Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $159 [ screwcap, original price $56; Sh 50%, Gr 46, Mv 4, the shiraz mostly old-vine, a mix of bush-vines and trellis-grown; the grenache all old-vine and dry-grown bush-vines; some whole-bunches in fermentation; elevation French oak 65% with 20% new, American oak 35%; light filtration only; 2006 in Barossa Valley rated 10/10 in the Halliday Vintage Chart, no vintage since is rated as highly; Sarah Ahmed (UK), 2015: on this vintage of Nine Popes: Melton says “our best Grenache years tend to be the bright, mild years where we have good sun levels but without the scorching heat that may lead to burn. 2006 was such a year." The blend comprises 50% Shiraz, 46% Grenache and 4% Mourvedre which was aged for between 16-18 months in 65% French oak, 35% American oak of which around 25% was new. Classic mature sweet barnyardy Grenache to the nose with savoury black olive and rich, spicy fruitcake. Good length, though I detected a touch of astringent oak to the finish, no score; Halliday, 2009: A synergistic blend (Shiraz/Grenache) in this wine with no confection characters whatsoever; has wonderful texture in the layers of black and red fruits, oak and tannins in a calibrated support role, 96; www.charlesmeltonwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly as red and youthful as the Grand Veneur, and the deepest colour. One sniff and sadly, in a blind tasting, the bouquet is a total giveaway, quite prominent flowering mint (Prostanthera) florals and aromatics narrowly escaping being outright euc'y. Behind is rich berryfruit. In flavour the wine is rich and succulent going on juicy, the flavour let down by the overt boysenberry character of over-ripe Australian shiraz, but the whole wine beautifully and relatively subtly oaked, with some cedary touches and vanillin (from American). Being shiraz-led this wine handles new oak better than the grenache-dominant French wines. Since the aroma was ‘familiar’ to tasters (whether recognised or not), this was marginally the favourite wine, on the night, four first places, two second. Since however these two tastings were a 'Chateauneuf Celebration', I did not quite share tasters’ enthusiasm. Plus the acid adjustment interacting with the oak makes the finish shrill, when seen alongside the more naturally-balanced French wines. But all that said, even so it fitted in remarkably well, in its juicy, obvious way. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
Ruby and velvet, nearly as red and youthful as the Grand Veneur, and the deepest colour. One sniff and sadly, in a blind tasting, the bouquet is a total giveaway, quite prominent flowering mint (Prostanthera) florals and aromatics narrowly escaping being outright euc'y. Behind is rich berryfruit. In flavour the wine is rich and succulent going on juicy, the flavour let down by the overt boysenberry character of over-ripe Australian shiraz, but the whole wine beautifully and relatively subtly oaked, with some cedary touches and vanillin (from American). Being shiraz-led this wine handles new oak better than the grenache-dominant French wines. Since the aroma was ‘familiar’ to tasters (whether recognised or not), this was marginally the favourite wine, on the night, four first places, two second. Since however these two tastings were a 'Chateauneuf Celebration', I did not quite share tasters’ enthusiasm. Plus the acid adjustment interacting with the oak makes the finish shrill, when seen alongside the more naturally-balanced French wines. But all that said, even so it fitted in remarkably well, in its juicy, obvious way. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $148 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$85; Gr 65%, Mv 15, Sy 15, balance authorised varieties hand-harvested from one of Chateauneuf's most famous sites, the stony plain of La Crau, average age all vines > 50 years (then); mostly destemmed, cuvaison formerly shorter, now to 30 even 40 days, elevation c.12 months in concrete, c.10 months in foudre; not fined or filtered; average annual production 16,5000 x 9-litre cases, yet such is its fame it is hard to buy in New Zealand; J.L-L. 2015: ... a broad bouquet, one with capacity and red meat depth. It shows the concentration of the year in its red fruit. The attack is elegant, provides a liberal offer of stylish red fruit, with joli clarity. This is developing well. Its freshness has been well achieved, and it serves a rocky tang as it finishes. This is very enjoyable, is a superior 2007 in the freedom stakes, nothing overdone. To 2035, ****(*); RP@RP, 2009: an exquisite nose of salty sea breezes, licorice, ground pepper, jammy black cherries, black currants, figs, and plums, this is a full-bodied, rich, Provencal-styled offering with lots of sweet, ripe tannin. It is surprisingly accessible for a Vieux Telegraphe (this wine normally shuts down several years after bottling), but it should have great longevity (25+ years) given its power, full-bodied mouthfeel, and enormous length and richness. This is a brilliant effort, to 2035, 96+; www.vieux-telegraphe.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. In this wine, the over-ripe baked jam-tart note becomes a little more noticeable, in otherwise rich berryfruit shaped by gentle older oak. Palate too reveals the jam-tart qualities, but otherwise fruit length and balance are good. Two tasters in the wine-trade thought the wine out of condition due to temperature fluctuation in shipping, that is, showing some oxidation. The importer uses temperature-controlled containers, and on inquiry, is not aware of any malfunction in that import season. And it is noticeable the Parker descriptors for this wine include licorice, jammy black cherries, figs – all part of my baked over-ripe suite of attributes, yet so liked by Americans habituated to warmer-climate wines. So this is a big wine, but lacking a little in freshness. Disappointing … in the sense that Vieux Telegraphe is always an eagerly-awaited wine, in any line-up. It earned one second-place vote. Cellar 10 – 20 years, in its style. GK 10/19
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. In this wine, the over-ripe baked jam-tart note becomes a little more noticeable, in otherwise rich berryfruit shaped by gentle older oak. Palate too reveals the jam-tart qualities, but otherwise fruit length and balance are good. Two tasters in the wine-trade thought the wine out of condition due to temperature fluctuation in shipping, that is, showing some oxidation. The importer uses temperature-controlled containers, and on inquiry, is not aware of any malfunction in that import season. And it is noticeable the Parker descriptors for this wine include licorice, jammy black cherries, figs – all part of my baked over-ripe suite of attributes, yet so liked by Americans habituated to warmer-climate wines. So this is a big wine, but lacking a little in freshness. Disappointing … in the sense that Vieux Telegraphe is always an eagerly-awaited wine, in any line-up. It earned one second-place vote. Cellar 10 – 20 years, in its style. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $245 [ cork 50mm, ullage 14mm; original price c.$125; one of the few domaines making just the one grand vin (red), plus a remarkable generic red with non-conforming cepage, Le Petit Vin d’Avril; Clos des Papes described by J.L-L as the ‘Gold standard estate’; it is becoming a rare wine in New Zealand; grapes are drawn from 24 sites, varying considerably in soil type, the mourvedre all on clay-rich sites; average vine age is 50 years; Vincent Avril favours mourvedre, but cepage in 2007 was still Gr 65%, Mv 20, Sy 10, counoise, vaccarese and muscardin combined 5; all cropped very conservatively at ideally 24 – 26 (reports vary) hl/ha = 3.1 – 3.4 t/ha = 1.25 – 1.4 t/ac in 2007, but some years less; all destemmed (since 1991), 21 days cuvaison; elevation c.12 months in large foudres, a key detail for New World winemakers is no new oak in the grand vin – Jeb Dunnuck (on the Parker website) first records in 2013 that for the grand vin: ‘No new oak is used in the winery and all new barrels and foudre see three vintages of his non-vintage Le Petit Vin d’Avril before being used for his grand vin.’; sometimes egg-white fining but not filtered; annual production varies between 2,500 and 7,500 x 9-litre cases in this dry climate, but in 2007 was c.8,300; J.L-L, 2008: On the nose, blackberry (grenache) with licorice (mourvedre) influences – and a silken raspberry aroma that has a lot of poise and is very suave. The palate has a rich, full, veering towards dense start, and comes with traces of chocolate in the flavour, alongside a cherry note. It is wide and well-juiced, ending on a final quarter of steady tannic growth. This is more structured than many 2007s at present – I like its fresh end and good length. The power shows up through some kirsch in the late taste. All very orderly, good prospects. To 2038, *****; JD@RP, 2017: One of the great vintages from this estate ... everything you could want from a wine. Full-bodied, intense and beautifully concentrated, with plenty of muscle and depth, it shows the hallmark elegance and purity of the estate, with sensational notes of kirsch liqueur, raspberries, incense, smoked meats and Asian spices. To 2037, 100; the website given is thus far just a holding page, the best background information being from a Mornington Peninsula fine wine retailer: www.finewinemerchant.com.au/clos-des-papes; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Ruby and some velvet, a touch of garnet, the second lightest. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, being aromatic and savoury in an old-fashioned leather and venison casserole / nutmeg way, on red fruits and alcohol. These descriptors point to some brett. Palate is relatively soft and fragrant, red fruits browning a little, gentle tannin structure, very food-friendly. As always, some people like the brett component a good deal, three first places, two second, whereas conversely, others have ‘learnt’ to be ‘sophisticated’ about brett, and now reject such wines, so five least places. It is a pity the alcohol is showing rather much in this wine, for lightly bretty wines are in fact so good with savoury foods. Cellar 5 – 15 years, noting every bottle will be different. That is part of the package, with brett.
There is certainly a major mismatch between the characters we found in our bottle, and the near-100 point scores of Dunnuck and Parker. The website above does mention that for bottling the wine is assembled into two 15,000 litre vats, with metered blending, but what exactly happens in a year of peak production such as 2007, when there were c.75,000 litres, is not clear. There is thus the possibility of more than one bottling in 2007, which might explain the present discrepancy. Alternatively, this wine too might be a wine affected by temperature-control failure in shipping, but see my doubts expressed in the Conclusions. In his description for the wine in 2009, Parker does mention ‘licorice, roasted herbs, and smoked meat’ positively … again all cues to a riper winestyle (and possible brett) than temperate-climate tasters may prefer. On this showing, a considerable disappointment. I await the next bottle with interest. GK 10/19
Ruby and some velvet, a touch of garnet, the second lightest. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, being aromatic and savoury in an old-fashioned leather and venison casserole / nutmeg way, on red fruits and alcohol. These descriptors point to some brett. Palate is relatively soft and fragrant, red fruits browning a little, gentle tannin structure, very food-friendly. As always, some people like the brett component a good deal, three first places, two second, whereas conversely, others have ‘learnt’ to be ‘sophisticated’ about brett, and now reject such wines, so five least places. It is a pity the alcohol is showing rather much in this wine, for lightly bretty wines are in fact so good with savoury foods. Cellar 5 – 15 years, noting every bottle will be different. That is part of the package, with brett.
There is certainly a major mismatch between the characters we found in our bottle, and the near-100 point scores of Dunnuck and Parker. The website above does mention that for bottling the wine is assembled into two 15,000 litre vats, with metered blending, but what exactly happens in a year of peak production such as 2007, when there were c.75,000 litres, is not clear. There is thus the possibility of more than one bottling in 2007, which might explain the present discrepancy. Alternatively, this wine too might be a wine affected by temperature-control failure in shipping, but see my doubts expressed in the Conclusions. In his description for the wine in 2009, Parker does mention ‘licorice, roasted herbs, and smoked meat’ positively … again all cues to a riper winestyle (and possible brett) than temperate-climate tasters may prefer. On this showing, a considerable disappointment. I await the next bottle with interest. GK 10/19
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $195 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$115; Gr 80% up to 100 years age, Mv 10, Va 5, balance Sy, Ci, counoise etc, hand-picked @ 3.9 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac, completely destemmed, cuvaison up to 21 days, elevation for this vintage 50% in s/s, 50% in barrel, with 10% new, for 12 months; not fined, filtered to bottle; production varies, but c.1,250 x 9-litre cases; since the turn of the century the new oak has been reduced markedly; JR@JR, 2008: Very rich and voluptuous and spicy and gloriously fruity. A tarry top note on all the opulent ripe fruit underneath. Very lush and user-friendly with excellent tannin management. Some real thought in the winemaking here. Interesting wine but hot finish, to 2018, 17; RP@RP, 2009: Not surprisingly, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois is another prodigious offering from this estate. ... a formidable nose of graphite, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, licorice, and violets. Full-bodied with exquisite depth, impressive purity, and a multilayered, sumptuous finish with moderate tannin, its purity, freshness, vibrancy, and precision are exceptional. To 2031, 96+; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. This wine showed over-ripe baked jam-tart qualities much more clearly, in otherwise rich berryfruit made fragrant by a percentage of new oak. Palate is rich, very dry on the noticeable alcohol and oak, but lacking fresh fruit flavours. Again two tasters thought the wine out of condition, due to oxidation consequent on temperature-control misadventure in shipping. I again offered the interpretation of over-ripeness, plus grenache so often being diminished by exposure to new oak … but with less conviction, there having been some superb vintages of this Cuvée in New Zealand, including when the new oak ratio was greater. And Parker’s earlier descriptors for this wine imply much fresher fruit qualities, so there may indeed be an issue. This debate could not be resolved … and again, on inquiry, the importer is not aware of any container / temperature stability issues in that import season. Meanwhile, this bottle a disappointment, but it must be emphasised that this discussion, and my marking structure, is wine-talk at a pretty rarefied level. Most wine drinkers would just accept the wine is maybe a bit spirity / tanniny particularly with food, but still pretty good stuff. One first place, but six least places. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 10/19
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. This wine showed over-ripe baked jam-tart qualities much more clearly, in otherwise rich berryfruit made fragrant by a percentage of new oak. Palate is rich, very dry on the noticeable alcohol and oak, but lacking fresh fruit flavours. Again two tasters thought the wine out of condition, due to oxidation consequent on temperature-control misadventure in shipping. I again offered the interpretation of over-ripeness, plus grenache so often being diminished by exposure to new oak … but with less conviction, there having been some superb vintages of this Cuvée in New Zealand, including when the new oak ratio was greater. And Parker’s earlier descriptors for this wine imply much fresher fruit qualities, so there may indeed be an issue. This debate could not be resolved … and again, on inquiry, the importer is not aware of any container / temperature stability issues in that import season. Meanwhile, this bottle a disappointment, but it must be emphasised that this discussion, and my marking structure, is wine-talk at a pretty rarefied level. Most wine drinkers would just accept the wine is maybe a bit spirity / tanniny particularly with food, but still pretty good stuff. One first place, but six least places. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 10/19
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