Category Archives: Shiraz / Syrah

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

We could easily have stopped with the Réserve Personnelle, and I would have felt I had gotten more than my money’s worth from the seminar, but there were four more wines lined up in front of me.

Change le Merle Vielles Vignes 2007, Bosquet des Papes, presented by Nicolas Boiron, proprieter and winemaker.  Blend 88% grenache, 8% Mourvèdre and $% syrah grown on three parcels, Gardioles, Montredon and Cabriéres.  The vines are 90+ years old, and the wine is aged 14 months in a combination of demi-muids and foudres.  Only 750 cases were produced.

The Chante le Merle Cuvée was first produced in 1990 by Maurice Boiron, the third generation of the Boiron family to helm Bosquet des Papes, and since then he, and now his son Nicholas who took over the winemaking in 2000, produces the Cuvée only in those vintages that he feels deserve it.

The color is a dark ruby color with some lovely deep red notes when the wine catches the light.  The nose is very soft with light notes of fruit, particularly cherry.  In the mouth, the wine is soft, lush, lightly fruity and very spicy with strong notes of pepper and cumin.  This is a very big, robust wine, a “steakhouse wine,” if you will.  The finish lingers with the warm toasty spiciness of the cumin.  Soft tannins help give the wine a nice balance and complexity.  Overall this was another one of the eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head, wish-I-could-afford-these-wines moments and I immediately texted Kevin, who, I am sure, was heartily sick of my taunting him with “you should be here” texts.

Vielle Vignes 2007, Domaine de la Côte d l’Ange, presented by John Junguenet.  Blend 90% grenache, 5% syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, grown on the parcel for which the domaine is named: Le Coteau de l’Ange.  the age of the vines is 95 years, and the wines are aged for 12 months in foudres and 2-3 year old barrels.  600 cases were produced.

The Vielle Vignes gave the Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Cuvée du Mon Aïeul a run for it’s money for the top spot as my favorite of the day.  Even revisiting the Cuvée in a back-to-back tasting, I was hard pressed to choose between the two.  I’d call it a tie, but as I tasted and compared, I realized if I was going to recommend one wine to Kevin from the entire group, this would be it.

The color is a dark garnet, not as bright as the previous wine, but still a lovely color.  The nose is soft and very light with notes of sea air – that bright salty crispness you often find in sea air.  In the mouth, the wine is smooth and fruity, although I found it difficult to isolate particular notes.  The finish is also smooth and lightly fruity and while another robust wine, it lacks the spice found in the Chante le Merle.  It was a very interesting contrast to taste the two back to back.

Cuvée du Quet 2007, Mas de Boislauzon, presented by Daniel Chaussy, proprieter and winemaker.  The blend is 80% grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, grown on the Bois Lauzon parcel.  The wine is aged for 16 months in a 50/50 combination of foudres and 3-year old barrels.

Daniel Chaussy, who runs the winery with his sister Christine, first produced the Cuvée in 2000 as a showcase for the Mouvèdre, with the base of the wine (60-70%) being old-vine Mouvèdre.  In 2007, he flipped that and increased the percentage of grenache.  The result earned the Cuvée 100 points from Robert Parker.

The color is a deep ruby/garnet.  The nose is earthy, rich and almost loamy – a really lovely nose with a much stronger presence than that of the previous few wines.  In the mouth, the wine is dry, earthy and elegant – lovely notes of grass and a lot of spice, particularly the sharper heat of pepper.  The finish lingers on peppery notes.  The wine still has the feel of a young wine, and while definitely drinkable now, I very much felt the potential, and think that this will really transform and blossom with aging.  Overall, while not a bad wine, I found it not as strong or as interesting as some of the other wines in the selection.

Les Petits Pieds d’Armand 2007, Domaine Olivier Hillaire.  Presented by Olivier Hillaire and translated by John Junguenet.  Blend, 100% grenache grown on a single parcel, Le Crau.   The vines are just over 100 years old, and the wine is aged 14 months in demi-muids.  330 cases were produced.

The color is a dark ruby, with a dense opaque tone.  While a lovely color, the wine doesn’t catch the light in quite the same way as a number of the other wines.  The nose is absolutely gorgeous – soft but complex; earthy, spicy and notes of dark berries.  In the mouth the wine is smooth with lovely, soft, rich notes of dark plum.  The sharp spicy heat of pepper comes with the finish providing an interesting complement to the soft plumminess.  Very, very nice wine, and like all the wines I tried that day, will definitely grow in depth and complexity as it ages.

That concluded the seminar, 10 Chateauneuf-du-Papes from the remarkable 2007 vintage, that near-perfect year.  Since returning from the seminar, I’ve been doing some hunting via Google to see if I can pick up at least a couple of bottles to cellar for a few years.  Even as young as they are, these are not cheap wines – most start in the low $100s and move up from there.  They also are not widely available, due both to the relatively low number of cases produced and limited distribution here in the US.  Luckily I live on the East Coast, near New York, and am sorely tempted to head down to the city, cruise the wine shops, and see what I can find.

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

The seminar proceeded rather leisurely; we were provided with plenty of time to enjoy each wine before moving on to the next one.  Also. the Junguenets were generous with their pourings, providing full half glasses of each wine, rather than the usual few ounces I’d found with other seminars.  It meant that most wines were left unfinished on the table (or I wouldn’t have made it home that afternoon), but there was plenty of opportunity to not only taste the wines, but also to revisit them, doing quick side-by-side comparisons of ones that were particular favorites.

After the Reserve Sixtine, we moved on to

Cuvée Vielle Vigne, Domaine de la Charbonnière, presented by Veronique Maret, daughter of proprieter and winemaker  Michel Maret.  Blend 70% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre grown on two parcels, La Crau and Charbonnière.   The age of the vines averages 65-70 years old, with a few being almost 100 years.  The wine is aged in both foudres and barrels for 12-18 months.  4,000 cases were produced.

The wine itself is a dark ruby color, with an earthy, lightly musty nose that I found really pleasant.  In the mouth, the Cuvée is earthy and spicy, with strong notes of pepper that linger through a very long finish.   Strong tannins and an overall “young” feel to the wine kept it from immediately being one of my favorites of the afternoon, but I was definitely intrigued enough to want to revisit the wine in a few years.  This is one that I may try to track down and cellar a few bottles just to see how it ages.

The Domaine de la Charbonnière will be celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2012.  Originally purchased by current winemaker Michel Maret’s grandfather, Eugene, as a present for his wife, herself the daughter of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape winemaker, the estate has been family owned ever since.  Under the propriertorship of Michel Maret the domain has, in the words of Alain Junguenet, become one “of the upper echelon of Chateauneuf-du-Pape estates.”

Cuvée de Mon Aïeul 2007, Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils, presented by John Junguenet.  The Domaine is a relatively new one, founded in the 1940s by Francis Usseglio, who had left his native Piedmont in 1931 to work in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards.  He produced his first vintage in 1949, and soon was joined by his son, Pierre, for whom the domain is now named.  Francis’s grandsons, Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio today run the estate are the Domaine’s principal winemakers, who designed this wine as an homage to their grandfather.  The age of the vines is 80 years, and the wine is fermented for 14 months in cement tanks, with 10% being aged in 1-3 year old oak barrels. 1,500 cases were produced.

The Cuvée is a blend of 95% grenache and 5% syrah, grown across four parcels: Grand Serres, Les Serres, Esquirons, and Les Bédines.  The is a medium-dark ruby color, a bit more vibrant and not as deep a color as the previous Cuvée.  The nose is earthy, musty, and has light spice notes, particularly pepper and a hint of the toasty warmth of cumin.

With one sip this wine went immediately to the top of my favorites list.  Definitely one of the eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head moments that I tormented Kevin with all day.  This is an absolutely beautiful wine, smooth with deep rich notes of dark fruits particularly black cherry and blackberry.  The mouth feel is lush and satiny, and the wine really expands and blossoms in the mouth.  The finish moves to notes of spice and toast and lingers on the palate.

Unfortunately a bit out of my price range at an average of $150 per bottle, but one I will definitely keep on the list for a future indulgence.

Réserve Personnelle 2007, Le Vieux Donjon, presented by Claire Michel, daughter of proprietor and winemaker, Lucien Michel.   This was one of the highlights of the seminar.  As the name suggests, the 2007 Réserve was produced as a private wine, just for the family.  Only 600 cases were produced, and none were released for sale.  However, because of the Michel’s longstanding relationship with Alain Junguenet, who we were told begged to have the wine included in the seminar, the Michels did agree to release a case.

The blend is 90% grenache and 10% syrah, grown on the Pied-Long (Pielons) parcel, the oldest parcel of the domain.  The vines are between 95 and 100 years old, and the wine was aged for 15 months in foudres.   Described by Claire Michel as a very traditional wine, the color is a lovely jewel-tone ruby.  The nose is earthy with discernible notes of grass and hay.  In the mouth, the wine is soft and fruity with a soft peppery finish.   The oak adds a soft butteriness, rather than the toast or licorice notes I had been finding in the previous wines, and it contributed to an overall soft, silky mouth feel.

I found myself comparing it to the Usseglio Cuvée we had just sampled, and even went back to the previous wine to try a back-to-back tasting.  Both are very impressive wines, but I found the Usseglio just edged out the Réserve for the top spot on my list.

Coming Thursday: The Final Four

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

If there was one theme we kept hearing throughout the seminar it was “2007 was as perfect a year for growing wine as one could hope for.”  Despite experiencing one of the worst droughts in more than 20 years (only 1.38″ of rain between June and mid-September), the consistently mild temperatures (average of 73ο F) and over 20 days of strong, cool Mistral winds blowing across the Rhone Valley which kept the vines from drying out after the rains, resulted in near-perfect growing conditions across the region.  As a result, the 2007 vintage is consistently one of the best across all Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers.

Joining Alain and John Junguenet in leading us through this exploration of the 2007 vintage were many of the winemakers or winery owners.  A couple only spoke French, but it was a rare and fascinating treat to hear their impressions of the wines we were tasting.  We kicked off with the

Hommage à Henry Tacussel 2007, Domaine Moulin-Tacussel.  Presented by Didier Latour, the cellarmaster and winemaker at Henry Tacussel.  Blend: 93% Grenache, 7% Syrah; Parcel: Charbonnière.   The Charbonnière parcel has a mix of Galet (rocky) soil in the higher elevations and sandy in the lower.  The vines are between 80 and 90 years old and were planted by Henry Tacussel, who created the domaine in the late 19th century.   The wine is aged in oak barrels for twelve months, and only 1800 bottles were produced.

The color is a rich, dark purple.  The nose is earthy with very discernible notes of pepper.  In the mouth, the wine has light notes of cherry, and the mouth feel is smooth, rich and full.  There’s a slightly sharp finish that I felt primarily in the top and back of the mouth, but that should soften with cellaring and when paired with food.

Réserve Spéciale, Château Fortia.  Presented by winery manager, Pierre Pastre.  The domaine was founded by Baron Le Roy de Boiseaumarie, the man credited with organizing the region’s winemakers in 1936 and creating France’s first AOC, and is now owned by his son, Bruno Le Roy, who is also Fortia’s winemaker.   The domaine, and the parcel, are named for the castle, Château Fortia, that sits on the land, and the estate is one of the few whose vines and cellar are all within the same parcel.

Blend: 85% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre; Parcel: Fortiasse.   This average age of the syrah vines is 35-36 years, with the Mourvèdre averaging just over 50 years. Château Fortia vinifies the wine in cement tanks before aging for 14 months in oak barrels.  While not a common blend for a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I found this one of the more interesting wines of the seminar.  The color is a very dark purple/dark ruby color, almost black.  The nose was very soft with deep rich notes of blackberry and black currant.  In the mouth, the flavors are layered but well balanced, with notes of blackberry, black currant and a gaminess which I found quite interesting.  Pastre described the gamey notes as touches of venison, and I must say they provided an interesting richness and depth.   The wine opens in the mouth, and finishes with notes of black licorice.   While definitely drinkable now, the wine was designed to be aged 10-15 years, and production was limited to only 250 cases in an attempt to improve the overall quality.

Réserve Sixtine 2007, Cuvée du Vatican.  Presented by John Junguenet.  Cuvée du Vatican is owned by Jean-Marc Diffonty, who is both proprieter and winemaker, heir to a long family history of winemaking which dates back to the 17th century.   Diffonty’s father, Félicien, also served as Châteauneuf’s mayor for more than 30 years.   Jean-Marc Diffonty took over the winery from his father in 1993, and since then has been credited with bringing “the estate a very long way in the last 14 years” (source: Alain Junguenet Selection Seminar Notes).  He was the first winemaker in the appellation to have a punch-down machine, designing his own machine.

The Réserve Sixtine 2007 is a blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre grown on three parcels: La Crau, Barbe d’Asnes, and Rayas.  The age of the vines is roughly 60 years, and a blend of grapes are gown in each parcel, allowing for a blend of terroir in addition to the blend of grape.   The Réserve Sixtine is a relatively newer wine for Diffonty, who first began producing it in 1998.  Diffonty also uses a relatively high percentage of new oak in his wines, aging the wine for 12 months in a combination of  foudres (40%), new oak barrels (30%) and stainless steel tanks (30%).  2,009 cases were produced.

Like the previous two wines the color is a dark purple, but leaning more towards shades of dark plum rather than ruby.  The nose is soft with very discernible notes of cherry.  In the mouth, the wine is bright, but elegant with a lush mouth feel.  The cherry is also present on the palate and there are notes of pepper on the finish, which lingers beautifully in the mouth.  While I liked the wine, I did feel it was still young, and would definitely benefit from cellaring.

Tuesday, 4.20.2010 – the exploration of the 2007 Châteauneuf-du-Papes continues.

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