75% Grenache en 25% Syrah. Aroma’s van kleine rode vruchten, zwart zoethout, evoluerend naar steenvruchten, gedroogde pruimen en leder. In de mond ontdekken we een mooie houttoets en een gulheid van sierlijke en stevige tannines. Na enige tijd ontwikkelen zich meer complexe aroma’s van opgelegde kersen en kirch. Gekoeld (16°) is deze wijn de ideale bondgenoot van gegrilleerd vlees.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 97/100
The 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous is full-bodied, rich and velvety, yet it also possesses more freshness and concentrated berry fruit than the Vieilles Vignes bottling. An absolute beauty of a beast, it delivers ripe raspberries and cherries, a gentle dusting of Asian spice and a long, long finish.
Vinous – 94-95/100
Shimmering ruby-red. Powerful, mineral- and spice-accented raspberry and cherry preserve scents are complemented by hints of incense, vanilla and potpourri. Smooth and impressively concentrated, offering energetic red fruit liqueur, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors lifted by juicy acidity and a jolt of smoky minerality. Plush yet lively in character, with an emphatic floral note on a strikingly long finish that features fine-grained tannins that sneak in late.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 97/100
The 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous features electric aromas of garrigue, exotic stone fruit, pomegranate, black cherries and perhaps even a touch of rose petals. Full-bodied and rich without being overly weighty or dense, plush and velvety on the finish yet vibrant and complex, this magnificent effort should drink well for at least a decade. From vines planted in 1905, it’s approximately 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Vaccarèse.
Vinous – 95/100
Opaque ruby. A powerfully scented bouquet displays mineral-accented boysenberry and Chambord scents complemented by suggestions of pungent flowers, Indian spices and incense. Intense red/blue fruit preserve, cherry cola and fruitcake flavors show superb definition and silky texture. Comes off graceful despite its depth and finishes on a repeating floral note, displaying outstanding persistence and bright, mineral lift.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 97/100
A blend of 60% Grenache aged in concrete and 40% Mourvèdre aged in new barriques, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina is a modern-day monster. This is rich and powerfully concentrated, loaded with scents of vanilla and baking spices, yet it also possesses masses of red fruit (raspberries, cherries and plums), a wonderfully creamy and intense mid-palate and a long finish. It completely hides its no-doubt considerable alcohol.
Vinous – 93-95/100
Saturated ruby. A highly perfumed, complex bouquet displays dark berry compote, cherry pit and Indian spice aromas, along with notes of anise and dried lavender. Seamless and spicy on the palate, offering deeply concentrated, sweet blackberry and floral pastille flavors underscored by a spine of smoky minerality. Velvety tannins build slowly on the penetrating finish, which shows superb clarity and power and leaves behind sappy dark berry and allspice notes.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 97/100
The pure Grenache 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum was matured in a combination of clay amphorae and new demi-muids. It’s an enormous yet fruit-driven wine, endowed with masses of raspberries and stone fruit yet featuring complexity in the form of dried spices, like cinnamon, clove and allspice. Creamy and intense, it’s a roller coaster ride of exuberance, yet it’s ultimately elegant as it glides into a nearly never-ending finish. The only thing that kept me from going higher was the slight bit of warmth on the finish, which I think limits the wine’s aging potential.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 98/100
Bottled just four weeks prior to my visit, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina was showing no ill effects of the process. A blend of 60% Grenache with 40% Mourvèdre, it reveals intriguing notes of crushed stone, pencil shavings, black olives, tar and licorice on the nose. It’s so massive and concentrated that it’s almost painful to taste yet is seductive at the same time for its rich, velvety texture and incredible length. Somehow it manages all this but appears nimble and light at the same time, easily hiding what must be considerable alcohol.
Vinous – 96/100
Vivid bright-rimmed ruby. Exotic, highly perfumed aromas of red and blue fruit preserves, candied flowers, incense and Indian spices show outstanding definition and mineral lift. Fleshy, alluringly sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated raspberry, cherry cola, lavender pastille and fruitcake flavors that show uncanny delicacy for their power. Smooth, spicy and penetrating on the impressively persistent finish, which is given shape by suave, slow-building, deftly interwoven tannins.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 99/100
Bottled only in magnum, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum was made entirely from Grenache planted in 1905 and aged in new demi-muids, yet it has completely absorbed any trace of barrel. Incredibly intense and dramatic, it combines savory notes of licorice and dark roses with black cherries and dried spices. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, with a mind-bendingly long finish, it’s a tour de force that may prove to be perfection for some readers.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 98/100
With its more discreet oak and layers of complexity, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina is my favorite release here this year. Layers of dried spices accent raspberries and cherries in this full-bodied, rich and velvety wine. It’s more complex and complete than either the Combe des Fous or the Sancto Santorum, longer on the finish and supremely elegant.
Vinous – 95-96/100
Deep crimson. An expansive, complex bouquet displays cherry liqueur, boysenberry, incense and candied lavender qualities, along with a smoky mineral nuance that builds steadily in the background. Shows impressive depth and energy to the ripe red and blue fruit, floral pastille and spicecake flavors, which turn sweeter and livelier with aeration. Closes extremely long and floral, with rounded, even tannins and emphatic, spice-tinged persistence. This one looks like it’s build for the long haul.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 96/100
Bottled only in magnum, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum is 100% Grenache aged in new demi-muids. Loaded with vanilla and super ripe cherries, it is the antithesis of what French wines were in the not-too-distant past. Practically dessert in a glass, it’s full-bodied, rich, concentrated and velvety, finishing long, plush and satisfying. Purists will no doubt recoil, but this hedonistic wine delivers boatloads of pleasure.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 97/100
Another terrific effort from this estate, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina shares a sense of elegance with its vintage stablemate, the La Combe des Fous. Kirsch, stone fruit, black cherries, licorice, pomegranate…the list could go on and on. And while the wine is undeniably full-bodied, it doesn’t come across as heavy or hot, instead being built on a lacy, silky structure of fine tannins and rounded acids that linger on the finish.
Vinous – 94/100
Saturated violet. Expansive, mineral-accented black raspberry and boysenberry aromas are complemented by hints of licorice, vanilla and pungent flowers. Youthfully chewy and concentrated on the palate, offering sweet dark berry, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors sharpened by building spice and mineral flourishes. Rich yet energetic in style, finishing with excellent clarity and dusty tannins that sneak in late.
Vinous – Neil Martin
The 2021 Chassagne Montrachet Village was cropped at a respectable 30hl/ha due to the late pruning in this vineyard. It has a clean and precise bouquet, quite focused, a light reduction at play in the background. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, fresh and apply with orange rind towards the taut, slightly short but fresh finish. Fine.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 95/100
When I visited in June 2019, the selection for the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum hadn’t yet been done, so this is my first look at the wine. It’s marked by the new oak demi-muids, with layers of vanilla and cedar sitting atop luscious cherry fruit on the nose, and slightly drying wood tannins evident on the full-bodied palate and extending through the long finish. Personally, I prefer the less-obvious wood and nuanced complexities in the estate’s other premium cuvées in 2018, but there is no denying the hedonistic appeal of this 100% Grenache.
Deze Côtes d’Auxerre ontwikkelt mooie bloemenaroma’s, acacia, amandel, peche, getoast brood en een vleugje hout. Zeer genereus in de mond, raszuivere wijn die zijn intensiteit en mineraliteit ontleent aan de terroir.
Kan al jong gedronken worden, maar heeft toch een mooi bewaarpotentieel. Uitstekende begeleider van coquilles Saint Jacques, visgerechten, gevogelte en wit vlees.
Een Cotes d’Auxerre met complexe aroma’s van geroosterde nootjes, kruiden, kaneel en rijp fruit. Krachtig, elegant, genereus en complexe smaak. deze schitterende Bourgogne heeft een uitstekend bewaarpotentieel. Mooi te combineren bij vis, gevogelte, maar ook bij foie gras en stevige kazen.
Vinous – Neil Martin – 89-91/100
The 2022 Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre Corps de Garde is taken from vat
and due for racking into barrels after my July visit for bottling in the winter.
It has an attractive bouquet with fennel and hazelnut aromas, discrete at
first but gaining intensity with time. The palate is well-balanced with a
smooth texture, lemon verbena mixed with white tea notes, dovetailing
into a delicately spiced, quite pepper finish. Superb.
Vinous – Neil Martin – 92-94/100
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er Cru sports a very subtle
reduction on the nose and fine intensity, though I feel this will require
some bottle age to really open up. The palate is medium-bodied with good
grip, fine substance here, lovely acidity with fresh green apple, pear and
lime towards the finish. An appealingly bitter aftertaste urges you back for
another sip. Classy.
Vinous – neil martin – 93-95/100
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a clean, precise
nose, the same level of reduction as the Les Referts, with green apple and
light limestone scents. The palate is very well balanced, surfeit with
tension thanks to the acidity, precise and mineral-driven towards the
finish. What a wonderful Folatières, one that should age gracefully in
bottle.
