| 2007-10-26 01:28 |
WA: The top cuvee, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus-Ex Machina, a blend of 60% Grenache from ancient vines aged in foudres and 40% Mourvedre aged in small barrels, might well turn out to be the wine of the vintage. It is one of the few 2004s that can compete with the dozen or so monumental wines produced in Chateauneuf du Pape in 2003. This wine is dense ruby/purple to the rim, has a stunning nose of blackberry, crushed roasted Provencal herbs, and rich aged beef-like smells. The wine is sweet from glycerin and richness rather than any residual sugar as it is totally dry. It has fabulous texture, great purity, and stunning complexity and length. This is a real blockbuster wine that totally transcends the vintage character. Drink it over the next 12-15+ years. Under the inspired winemaking talent of Rhone oenologist Philippe Cambie in addition to proprietor Vincent Maurel, 2003 marked a breakthrough vintage for Clos Saint-Jean, and that has been followed by some of the finest wines of 2004 and blockbusters again in 2005. This 120-acre estate possesses some of the best old vine parcels of the appellation and has always had enormous potential, but the style of aging the wines in foudres for 5-6 years or longer resulted in too many wines that were dried out and lacked freshness. That has all changed under Cambie’s inspired winemaking, which keeps the Grenache in large foudres or demi-muids, and then ages the Syrah and Mourvedre components in smaller barrels. Yields, which were already low, have been lowered even further, and the wine is now bottled with neither fining nor filtration. If you haven’t caught on to the exquisite quality of Clos Saint-Jean’s Chateauneuf du Papes, now is the time. Just a reminder – their 2003s were some of the great wines of that irregular vintage in Chateauneuf du Pape, and they can still be found in the marketplace. These wines still remain somewhat underpriced vis-a-vis their quality, and a real bargain is the regular cuvee of Chateauneuf du Pape, normally a blend of 70-75% Grenache all aged in tank or large foudres and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800 |
| 2007-10-26 01:29 |
IWC: By Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 07
($93) Inky violet. Heady bouquet of raspberry, black cherry, lavender and fruity black pepper. Impressively concentrated and deep, with powerful, liqueur-like blackberry and cassis flavors enrobing big but supple tannins. Finishes with building sweetness and serious weight, but also with superb focus, leaving behind an impression of dark fruit essences. The yield here was reportedly 20 hectoliters per hectare. (Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA) 95 points |