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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 96 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by galewskj on 3/28/2024: Consistent with previous note. Big, hot, flabby, jammy. Not my style, but regrettably the predominant style in CDP these days. (209 views) | | | Tasted by jbro on 2/3/2024 & rated 86 points: Had this in the cellar since 2012. Should have opened earlier. Medium purple, fading at the edges. Can't find any fruit on the nose or on the palate. Not unpleasant but not at all rich like other CDPs. Austere is the word that comes to mind. It did complement a pork shoulder better that would a heavily fruited wine. Drink up (263 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 2/1/2024: This must have been a heck of a lot better in 2013 when Jeff Leve gave it 93 and GOBLUE2002 gave it 90. Today it is your typical Southern Rhone jam monster that has aged poorly, flabby, lacks acid and is alcoholic. I'm not sure why I aged this, found it in my cellar while doing inventory and groaned, plus I have one bottle remaining which I'll likely drink or use for cooking by summer. (408 views) | | | Tasted by graemeg on 8/2/2023: NobleRottersSydney - 2010 & prior (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 14%} [Paul] Warmly developing nose of leather and old red fruit, little obvious oak. Warm and cuddly palate, with rich blackberry fruit, liquorice, plenty of balancing powdery tannins, medium acidity. Blurry, luxurious texture, medium/full in weight, with a medium-long finish. Among the favourites on the night. (731 views) | | | Tasted by Mossrose on 7/29/2023 & rated 91 points: Drinking beautifully right now. Garrigue, dark berries, smoky, earthy, savory. Will keep for a few more years. (492 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 8/7/2022: Sunday lunch with the Wine-Ark boys (Porcine, Oxford Street): Gamey, meaty, slightly bretty, raisins, dark hued fruits with a red fruit underpin, smidge of garrigue and leather. Juicy, savoury, slightly chalky tannins are quite drying, again dark hued fruits, slight alcohol, smidge of fruit tea, quite savoury and almost bitter finish but rather lovely for me. (1269 views) | | | Tasted by peter.mancell@mfg.com.au on 1/6/2022 & rated 93 points: Lighter CNdP but still very enjoyable indeed.
Good fruit, mostly red; lovely mid weight texture not excessive acidity. (1476 views) | | | Tasted by graemeg on 4/7/2021: NobleRottersSydney - Blind Options something unusual (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 14%} [Geoffrey] Mid-garnet with some translucence. Developing/maturing bouquet of compost and aged red fruit. Revealed, Grenache makes sense. Smoky palate, little oak influence, with savoury but ripe red flavours and a distinct spiciness. Medium gritty tannins, medium weight and acidity. Finishes medium length and a little warm. Not too rustic. Bit of a dip on the mid-palate maybe. Probably didn’t get quite the attention it deserved as the night wore on. Still I think this has about as much development in it as it’s likely to get. Drink soon. (2359 views) | | | Tasted by pigdaddy on 1/6/2021 & rated 91 points: decanted 30 min, in the glass for 3 hours. full deep red; nose is forest-ey, cedar & brown spice, sweet ripe red cherry; grainy, med+ weight; early on w/food, still ebullient fruit was on point at the table, ripe moderated tannins, acids. a bit riper than preferred on it's own, though thoroughly consistently house style.
middle-aged, which is where this cuvée is best for me.
pork chile verde, cornbread; angst (2203 views) | | | Tasted by knorthrip on 11/14/2020 & rated 91 points: Vinous (2112 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 8/23/2020: Chateauneuf du Pape lunch (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Plums, meaty, earthy, sweet spice, herbs, black pepper, blackberry, brambles start to show with time. Juicy, plummy, earthy backed by savoury brambles and slightly chalky tannic grip on the mid palate. (2216 views) | | | Tasted by knorthrip on 8/13/2020 & rated 91 points: PNP but drank over several hours. Cherry, raspberry, plum, sage, white pepper, tea, forest floor, and purple flowers. Med- acidity, med+ tannin, High- alcohol. Moderate complexity. (1698 views) | | | Tasted by sdahar on 6/13/2020 & rated 91 points: Drinking well with everything in balance. Probably has another 3-5 yrs before any decline (1435 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 4/12/2020: From Coravin. Blackberry, plums, alcohol lends a peppery note, leather, sweet spice, slight garrigue. More fleshy than juicy, warm baked black fruits, a little leather and herbs. Talc textured tannins and touch of alcohol warmth. Okay (1397 views) | | | Tasted by anonymoose12345 on 12/30/2019: Cooked :( (1554 views) | | | Tasted by Motz on 11/9/2019 & rated 91 points: Ten year CdP and Bordeaux retro tasting (with ringers). Hosted by Grinner.
CdP Flight Two - Wine Five:
Typical of house and vintage. Suave and a touch thin now. Came away with the impression that the wine is holding form but has already seen its best days. Drink over the next few years. (1815 views) | | | Tasted by Grinner on 11/2/2019 & rated 93 points: The Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Chateau Lyon): This bottle over-performed. Even after a great VT, this came off as classic with savory notes that just went on and on. Kelp, meat, pepper, mineral notes sitting on relatively smooth tannins. 92 on day 2. Now-2022. (1792 views) | | | Tasted by Kepos on 7/26/2019 & rated 91 points: dark fruits, nice tannins and decent acidity, good structure, not too sophisticated but good to drink now. Don´t serve too warm! (1597 views) | | | Tasted by fizz on 6/15/2019: Spicy red and black fruits over a mineral, stony base. Mid-weighted, sweet fruits on the palate balanced by the medium tannin structure. It was easy to go back for another glass. (1682 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 1/31/2019: Annual Coravin blitz - day one (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium plus intensity aromas of jubey baked red berries tending to cherry, slightly peppery spice, baked earth, cedar - caramel almost. Juicy, baked fruits, savoury though, drying flour textured tannins, finishes with peppery warmth. Hmm. Time for me but nice. (1907 views) | | | Tasted by chanote44 on 1/4/2019 & rated 86 points: Slightly out of balance. The nose is hot with Etoh and minimal fruit. The body and palate are weak and the finish is underwhelming. Even with ample air time there is no improvement. (1503 views) | | | Tasted by Andrew H on 12/25/2018 & rated 89 points: Needs time to open up. Even then an austere, chewy effort. A hint of fruit by mainly stones, dust, dry leather. Worked okay with a peppery rib roast but could do better. (1480 views) | | | Tasted by DollarMenunaire on 9/16/2018: Previous notes of almond and fig are pretty accurate. A strange flavor on the back palate I can’t pin down. But the qualities of dead fruit, drying tannin, and austerity are a full alarm that this wine is on the downward spiral. Even now only barely enjoyable even with food. Fortunately not as hot as most CdP and there’s a shred of acidity but not enough to make the wine remotely versatile. A noble attempt at CdP restraint but not successful. Turning greener with air. Blech. (1890 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 8/15/2018 & rated 86 points: Too dry and austere, losing its fruit. Drink up.
Ric (2093 views) | | | Tasted by t4drman on 6/28/2018 & rated 90 points: Earth and leather aromas suggest a wine that might be heavier than this beauty offers on the palate. Flavors of tart yet candied cherries drift down the sides of the tongue. An almond extract taste slides in as well. Medium depth with a pleasant finish. Very nice wine with many foods. Enjoy. (2104 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019 & 2009: panel tasting results (3/1/2022)
(Domaine André Brunel, Les Cailloux, Grenache, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Issue #9 (9/25/2011)
(Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, March/April 2011, IWC Issue #155
(Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, A focus on Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Issue #5 (8/31/2010)
(Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and JebDunnuck.com and Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Producer website - Read about Les Cailloux
The Brunel family have been making wine in the Chateauneuf du Pape region since the 17th Century and the estate, currently under the guidance of Andre, is without doubt making some of the finest wines in the region, whether they are the entry level Cotes du Rhone or Chateauneuf du Pape, Les Cailloux. Since 1989, from a small parcel of land whose vines average over 115 years in age, he has in the finest vintages produced a separate "Cuvee du Centenaire".
André Brunel owns this well-known Chateauneuf du Pape property. He is the third generation of his family to manage the property. Fittingly, Domaine Les Cailloux takes its name from the cailloux roulés, which is the the French term for the large stones found littered all over the Chateauneuf du Pape region, and of course their vineyards.
The entire property of Domaine Les Cailloux is vast, covering well over 50 acres. Their vineyards occupy 17.3 hectares. The main grape variety they grow is Grenache. Some of their vines are among the oldest in Chateauneuf du Pape. They are close to 120 years old! The terroir is filled with loam, limestone and as we mentioned earlier, stones. They also have plantings on sandy terroir as well.
The Les Cailloux standard Chateauneuf du Pape is usually a blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 12% Syrah and 3% of different grape varieties. The vines are on average 60 years of age. After harvest, about 70% of the grapes are destemmed. Following fermentation, the Grenache ages in enamel coated vats. The Syrah and Mourvedre are aged in 1 – 3 year-old small barrels. On average, the wines remain in vat or barrel for between 15 to 20 months, depending on the character and grape varietal.
The top wine of Les Cailloux is their Cuvee Centenaire, which made its debut in 1989. comes from their oldest Grenache from vines averaging over 100 years of age. About 10% Syrah and an equal portion of 10% Mourvedre are included in the blend. For this special wine, the Grenache ages for 15 to 20 months in a combination of foudres and one to three year old barrels. The other varieties age in demi muids. Not much of this is made, production hovers close to 500 cases per vintage, when the wine is produced.
Domaine de 18 hectares à Châteauneuf-du-Pape qui doit son nom à l’une des douze parcelles qui le composent, celle de Farguerol au sol typique recouvert de cailloux roulés.
C ‘est cette parcelle qui est représentée sur l’étiquette et dont on a fêté le centenaire de la plantation qui a eu lieu en 1989 en élaborant pour la première fois une cuvée spéciale du millésime 1989, la « Cuvée Centenaire », qui sera renouvelée à chaque millésime exceptionnel.
Les autres parcelles sont situées sur des types de sols presques tous caillouteux, avec des sables ocres, des argiles blanches et grises, des terres rouges et des graviers.
L’encépagement
Sur les 16 hectares qui produisent du vin rouge, 65 % sont plantées en Grenache, 20 % en Mourvèdre, 12 % en Syrah et 3 % avec les autres cépages.
Récolte, vinification et élevage
Les raisins sont vendangés très mûrs au cours du mois de septembre et octobre, ils sont éraflés à 70 %, puis foulés à 50 %. La cuvaison dure de trois à quatre semaines.
Une fois les fermentations alcooliques et malolactiques terminées, le vin est débarrassé de ses grosses lies, puis élevé sur lies fines, la majure partie en cuves émaillées, le reste en fûts de chêne, 1/3 de fûts neufs, 1/3 de fûts d’un vin, 1/3 de fûts de deux vins.
L’élevage dure de seize à vingt mois, puis les différentes cuvées sont assemblées et deux mois plus tard le vin est mis en bouteilles.
On peut commencer à le boire quelques mois après, car l’élevage long lui a apporté de la rondeur, mais on peut aussi le conserver plus de dix ans au cours desquels il évoluera lentement.
La production annuelle en rouge est d’environ 70 000 bouteilles ; la Cuvée Centenaire, lorsqu’elle est embouteillée séparément représente 6000 bouteilles (80% Grenache, 12% Mourvedre, 8% Syrah). Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Southern Rhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation - Read more about Chateauneuf du Pape
Another site on this appellation
Vineyards on weinlagen-info
"As I have written many times in the past, the sweet spot for drinking Châteauneuf du Papes is usually the first 5-6 years after the vintage. Then they seem to go through an adolescent, awkward, and sometimes dormant stage, only to re-emerge around year 10-12, where the majority of wines are often fully mature. The best of them will continue to hold on to life (but rarely improving) beyond 15-20 years. It is only the exceptional Châteauneuf du Papes that will evolve for 20-25+ years, and those are indeed a rarity. However, things may be improving dramatically in terms of the longevity of Châteauneuf du Pape, although Grenache-dominated wines, the vast majority of wines produced in the appellation, are wines that do not have the polyphenol (extract and tannin) content of top Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, or Syrah-based wines. Nevertheless, the younger generation in Châteauneuf du Pape has taken seriously the farming in the vineyards. There are more organic and biodynamically run vineyards here than in any other appellation of France. The yields, which were already low, are even lower today (20-35 hectoliters per hectare), and of course, the proliferation of top luxury and/or old-vine cuvées gives a significant boost to the number of wines that will evolve past 25 or 30 years. The advantage of these wines is their broad window of drinkability." - Robert Parker
Vintage Chart 1978 to Today
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