Medium red, hint of brick. Warm, earthy, rich and ripe. Super smooth, plums, licorice, leather. Silky, supple, beautifully balanced. Extremely fine tannins. Hint of orange peel, raspberry, cherry, maraschino, fruit sweet with a lovely earthy edge. Mature fruit profile, but structure to go another decade.
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Absolutely gorgeous. Came out on top in a blind tasting of pure Grenache CDP against 2010 Janasse Chaupin and 2010 Usseglio Mon Aieul among others. The 2006 was a relatively cool vintage wedged between the hotter 2005 and baked 2007. It has held up magnificently and feels much younger than 17 years. The color was deep and tannins still present but not astringent. It is still not at its peak. The clean grenache fruit was stunning and the finsh lasted over a minute. I wish I had more of that wine. Best CDP tasted this year.
I was hopeful. I have not been a fan of cdp since they (mostly) seemingly followed Parker down the rat hole to make one-dimensional cherry bombs that never seem to open into something beautiful. This beast (15% alcohol) was far from worthy of the expense that my gf undertook to try to buy something special. I opened it and decanted; after two hours it was still one dimensional, jammy and alcoholic.
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Another excellent showing. Straight from the cellar to the decanter and drunk over the next 2 hours....fruit still vibrant but well balanced and no tannins to speak of. This is my last bottle and they have generally performed very well.
Matt
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This has aged really nicely and while ripe, it is not overwhelming and grenache flavors are aptly pure. Very good for the vintage and drinks almost Burgundian
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Deep ruby. Ripe berry aromas. Viscous but not heavy. Succulent raspberry, licorice, and garrigue. Exciting freshness of fruit and real old vine concentration. Much more focused than I expected a 2006 to be. This was a superb bottle.
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Full bodied, powerful, slightly masculine in style. the wine is on the structured, classic side. Still, there is lots to like here, with its blast of juicy, sweet, kirsch and garrigue. A few more years could help soften the tannins, making this even more fun to drink.
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This is a great cuvee , where you never know what you are going to get. I suspect its the "natural" wine making and the fact that 100% Grenache is low in acidity and unpredictable ....
In any event this bottle was "on" - lovely and evolved aromas of fresh raspberry, Kirsch liqueur, sweet spice and all sorts of herbs.
Full bodied with very little acidity , but still some tannic structure. Lots of similar characteristics on the palate with pronounced flavor intensity and a long lush hedonistic finish.
Excellent stuff. The 2006 CDP are a classic "forgotten" vintage between 05 and 07 and continue (in my view) to perform well above the vintage's reputation 10 years on. Wines like the 2006 Beaucastel have years ahead of them, but I would drink this one up.
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Tuesday Night Double Blind Tasting, $60+ (Bin 75): Sweet nose, fresh, spicy, a bit of alcohol. Still very youthful, would've liked to taste it with more time. Not fooling anyone that it's CdP, but it's a bit in your face still. Came back at the end of the night and it had mellowed some, but I'd really like to try it again in 3-4 years.
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Occasional dinner group; A vertical of 15 vintages Clos des Papes and some great extra's. (@ B in SvG): In the bouquet sweet and ripe dark and red forest fruits and good garrigue. On the palate a sweet start with ripe red and dark berries, herbs and spices, good acidity and soft but powerful tannin. Very full bodied and extracted. An enormous wine. Starting to show its beauty now, but there is a lot of future as well. No problem keeping this until 2020+.
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Dark red towards black; intense fruit, licorice, pepper, strawberry; nice soft sweet powerful attack, a bit dry ending; on the powerful side, but a very nice / excellent wine
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Good showing from this. On the young side still and needed some time to open up, last glass actually best. Had with entrecôte, bearnaise, zucchini and bell pepper, with cheese and the last glass on it's own. Good with food, but actually best on it's own. Fruit is still very much alive and on the huge side; raspberries, cherries and maybe a wee touch of apricot puré. Classical notes for a Chateauneuf-du-pape come rolling; seaweed, garrigue, a meaty touch and serious mineral. Acidity is surprisingly good for a 100% grenache. Although obviously a huge wine with 15% alcohol i think it has balance. I still like this very much. 93-ish for me, have no problem seeing it rated a lot higher or a lot lower, as this style is divisive. No need to hurry, if you open now, let it breath.
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Fairly deep garnet in colour. Started off a bit funky and 'old' with a bit of soy sauce/HP Sauce and bouillon in the nose in addition to black cherries, candied strawberries and some alcohol. Huge body. Firmed up with airing, threw away the soy notes and gained an intense lavender/lavender soap note. Further, it had the pure grenache note of something almond/cherry stone like, that I enjoy very much. Certainly true to the area and grape, but in a different way than say, Rayas. This could never be confused with a burgundy.
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This wine is really hitting its stride. Complexity on the palate with evolved mature flavors balanced by fruit. Drink now with a rich meat dish. Typical of new styled high quality chateauneuf....
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Cherry liqueur, sweet red fruits and herbs. The palate is dominated by sweet kirsch liqueur and spices. The wine has great purity, beautiful concentration, a good balance and a long, pure finish with sweet tannins kicking in. 92-93
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Decanted 3 hours before heading out. This is still extremely dark and hardly showing age or the lightness of the vintage. The kirsch, black raspberries and rich flavors described are correct...still drinks heavier than I prefer or would have liked, but this is a very full bodied wine
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Lots of Grenache, Syrah and more with friends (Downtown Cleveland): The wines I brought had been opened and poured, so I knew it was safe to open my back up bottle now. This was it. Glad I brought it as for me and about half the crowd, this was the WOTN. This is a huge wine that is just starting to be tamed. The nose has kirsch, black raspberries, spice, black licorice and slight violet notes. Great texture. Big, yet juicy and velvety. On the palate, starting to show some layers as it unwinds in the glass. Great black raspberry fruit, some earthiness, some burnt earth notes too. Long, long finish. Great showing for this bottle.
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Powerful nose of bacon, ripe red cherries, nice volatile acidity…. Loads of ripe tannins, surprising acidity, red fresh cherries, very long aftertaste 45 seconds… the wine was getting more and more power/grip with air, and was a bit too string finish… especially knowing his pedigree and being a close neighbor to Rayas…. I didn’t feel anything Rayas in this wine, on the contrary, very brutal and powerful wine 94+/100
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Now after the nasty '01 Cuvée Centenaire this is the real deal- popped and poured - viscous, kirsch, raspberry, sage, other herbs, perfume- this wine is quite literally intoxicating - super smooth with a finish that goes on for minutes- a beautiful wine-
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Still very young but impeccably made. Concentrated but with enough restraint to keep it in check. Savoury, spicy, charcuterie, ripe and dark red fruit flavours in abundance. Need a few more years to soften a few rough edges. Has plenty of power and stuffing but a good structure that will see it age pretty well.
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Cherry and dark berry liqueur on the nose. The palate is big and disjointed with lots of fruit but also lots of heat. A bit grainy in texture. Disappointing.
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A pleasure. Pure and complex nose of cherry liqueur, sweet red fruits and herbs. The palate is dominated by sweet kirsch liqueur and spices. The wine has great purity, beautiful concentration and a good balance. Too much kirsch liqueur to my palate, but still a convincing wine.
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This is the fourth bottle i have had of this wine. It has never been one of my favorite pure, and it has always been inferior to the 05 and 07. The nose was slightly rustique with herbs, earth, bitter almonds and kirsch liqueur. The palate was full bodied, with good structure, sweet red but also black fruit but maybe lacking a bit in overal balance. The wine is in my view not far from maturity.
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Just an awesome wine. Decanted for 3 hours prior to drinking which really opened the wine up. Medium body style with soft tannins and great finish. Need to find some more for this and see how it ages. Have the feeling has a long life ahead of it.
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Tasted the last bottle from my cellar - Almost perfect nose of summer herbal garden with strawberries, rasberries, herbes, hint of spice and blackberries at the end. The wine taste as the bouquet leaving your palate with a silky smooth and light impression of someone who has carred for this wine. The only thing I miss from this wine as a bit more intensity on both the nose and palate but again this works perfectly for a summer afternoon! For the price tag (Paid 80 $) this is a fantastic wine and I want to find more. Last time I gave this wine 95. I give it 94 today, not because the wine is less great (was exactely as great as last time), I guess my own tasting experience and demand for perfection (100 points) has gone up.
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Brought to a dinner with suppliers: Just a big brawny grenache hit---high in alcohol, profile and unctousness. I would assume this will calm a bit with time, but alas--it was my last btl. drink or hold
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First bottle of this....opened around noon and slow oxed with a small glass poured off to let in the air until dinner on Xmas day....at dinner strong, pure flavors of strawberry in particular and the alcohol in balance especially b/c I had kept it in the cellar to avoid too much heat....generally don't like CNP youg b/c it gets too hot or candied, but this was balanced b/c of the time it had...still would have liked more time to let the wine play out and open which I could not do given our crowd of 23...looking forward to the the next bottle
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Very extreme nose of cherry liqueur and very sweet red fruits. On the palate the wine is filled with sweet red fruits, strawberries, spices and an elegance that keeps it all together. After the 2000 la Mission, the wine did seem a little clumsy however.
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Excellent wine! Preparation: Decanted for 1½ hour and served 3 degrees cooler than room temperature (25 degrees) Notes: The Nose shows beautiful complexity of mint, herbs red and dark berries. The complexity is not that profound on the palate which gives a delicious taste of red and dark berries finishing off with notes of cigarbox. Medium to full-body. A little hot on the finish which should mellow out giving it 3-5 years of cellaring. Points: Colour: 5, Aroma: 15, Flavour & Finish: 17, Potential: 8
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I really wanted to find some way of improving on Paul S's note, but it's so spot-on that I'm unwilling to go beyond or even parallel it. For me, this is the fermented essence of ripe Grenache, what old vines produce when they're doted on like favored grandchildren, when everything is so perfectly aligned that the wine transcends what we comprehend intellectually as "wine". This was so, well, pure: light and effortless, but such insane flavor crammed onto every atom of Grenache. It does not remind of Rayas, despite Grande Pierre's proximity. But the near weightlessness of the wine DOES remind of Rayas and, perhaps more accurately, of every quintessential CdP grown in sand (Giraud's le Grenache de Pierre, La Bastide St Dominique's Secret de Pignan, Cristia's Vieilles Vignes, and very few others). This is a wine that showcases what mid-palate presence REALLY is--not a notion, not an aim or an end, just pure perfection, phenologically and physiologically. I can't for the life of me fathom why 2006 never got the cred that it's bookend vintages got. Frankly, it's something that continues to work to us consumers' advantage, so I'm not complaining. It remains my favorite vintage of the three. And this wine is emphatically THE single best bottle of CdP I have yet to taste from this great and understated vintage.
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Alcohol :: 15% Unmistakably, this is a wine made from 100% Grenache as this possessed superb focus, deep core of sweet pure dark fruits such as plum, blackberry, dried fig paste, Provencal herb with remarkably freshness. Very sweet entry that generated by layer and layer of concentrated pure dark fruits, opulent, almost voluptuous with firm structure which form by the solid acid spine, great mid palate depth. This is still a baby, with primary flavor, un-evolved. The transition between the mid palate attack to the finished is not so smooth, slightly weak finish that's seems kinda simple today, with mineral and preserve plum undertones. Not a wine for enjoyment today but it show great purity of fruits, structure and aging potential. If you have this wine, keep it away for at least 10yrs. Buy - Re-taste is needed.
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2011 Simple Series II: Henry's Dinner (Huat Kee, Amoy Street): Absolutely superb. The youngest wine of the night by far, but this threatened to outstage the gorgeous 1998 Trotanoy which was the WOTN for most people. At last, a 100% Grenache CdP that was neither spoofy, sugary nor flabby. This had a dusky Provencal nose of stewed dark cherries, garrigue, earth and herbs, very nice. The palate was certainly very rich and really powerful, with deep layers of prunes and cherries, and there was certainly a ripe sweetness to it, almost kirsch-like at points, yet all this was wed to lovely fresh balance and a wonderful sense of purity. In fact, it was restrained enough so that the immensely concentrated fruit on the mid-palate did not drown out subtler tones of black licorice, garrigue and incense. This would not normally be my favourite sytle for a CdP, but the wine was actually was actually quite profound, and offered a hint of a tremendous complexity that could unfurl with time. The super-long finish showed the same focused, balance feel that was evident on the rest of the wine, finishing with a dash of spice to go along with the sweet dark fruit tones. A delicious young wine, and one that has a long, long future ahead of it. Bravo.
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Very friendly bouquet with ripe red fruits. Strawberries. On the palate a bit sweet very ripe black fruits. Full bodied, but also elegant. Great wine, already a great pleasure, but with enough future.
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While having had a 2004 Pure a few years ago that was completely shut down, I considered this to be my first true encounter with this wine. Thinking of the neighboring soils of Rayas, this wine surprised both in terms of degree of colour, sweetness and concentration. This is an extremely well made wine with a complex nose of cherry, spice, licorice, marzipan, mineral and hints of garrigue. The palate is dominated by sweet kirsch liqueur, licorice and spices. The wine has great purity, beautiful concentration and balance and a long, pure finish with sweet tannins kicking in very nicely, but I just can't help thinking that a lesser degree of extract would have benefited the wine. While I love notes of cherry and kirsch in a Chateauneuf, I am less fond of notes of sweet kirsch liqueur. Maybe this will integrate with time. Easily 95-96 points to people loving a port-like Chateauneuf, but I set my expectations for future improvement and hope that things with settle with further time in the bottle. 92-93+
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a perfect chateauneuf- drinking much better than the grapey 2007- when critics say it fills out in the bottle, they would say this wine is a poster child for that. great structure and depth of flavor and finish- one of the finest young chateauneufs i've had. Made the 2007 Scarecrow next to it look like a piker. a '95 chapoutier barbe rac was cooked.
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Pretty clear and medium red. The nose seems a bit tight at first but the concentration is there. Raspbery and cherry with spice, mineral and stone. The flavours are slightly sweet silky red fruit and the finish is very balanced. Julien had poured a large glsss of this at the begginning of lunch to allow the bottle to breath. later he poured some of that glass into mine and it seemed quite a bit more open. Needs a good five years in the cellar, but with a 4 hour decant would be fantastic now.
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What a mouthfull...the first sip will transport you to another place. This is a very big wine, not quite over the top. The other two bottles are going to get a few more years of bottle aging and I hope the wine will be a bit more unified. Great choice for Christmas with thick grilled lamb chops.
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Not detailed as I took this out for corkage (Range). This is definitely a modern styled cdp with just incredible fruit concentration and a full body that just sailed seemlessly from start to finish. Super dark and insanle concetration for 100%? Grenache as this leans out of the cherry/strawberry realm and way into the black fruits. Impressive for what it is though, the best CA Grenache Ive had from France to date.
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Garden lovage. A lot of good and ripe primary fruits. The rest of the spices and herbs are hidden behind the fruit. Good tannin. Great concentration. Much too young, but great wine. (Nice someone brought it, but I will wait with my bottles. This will only gain the next decade. The TN and score are blind.)
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A mouth full of wine and a wine of great quality! Juicy and ripe black and red fruits. Soft and beautiful spiciness. Good bitterness and tannin. Very full bodied. A lot of pleasant sweetness. Give it another 5 years, but in 10+ years this will still be great!
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Beautifull nose of cherries jam, oriental spices and even some meat... in the mounth, very ripe red fruit, strawberries, cherries, spices... very long aftertaste... great wine!!
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To smell 2006 Pure in the decanter is an almost erotic sensation, evoking moans of pleasure. It reminds us of the barrel sample of Pure 2007: an elixir of red cherries, raspberry reduction and strawberry jam - blueprint grenache fruit. Just one other note at this moment: lots of crushed stone. An hour later in the glass: deep, dark, bluiesh red. Now we get a pretty nervous nose with hints of perfume, chemical overtones and sharp edges everywhere. Youthful cherry cores and lots of fresh herbs from the garden. Cocktail cherries, shaves of nutmeg, almond body lotion and lots of sweet liquorice are other notes at this stage. But the pure essence of fruit is a bit reluctant right now. We taste the wine and receive a direct hit, smack in the face. The sandy tannins are pretty smooth, and the lustful, creamy taste is heavily infused with sweet liquorice. We also sense a notable chilli heat and a slight wormwood bitterness in the aftertaste. Yes, there's abundant alcoholic sweetness and dripping sweet liquorice, but still we get a fresh overall mouthfeel thanks to great acids and minerals. Aromas of black pepper and herbs supply more of the necessary freshness. And it is actually very accessible - Julien Barrot is a whizard of early drinkability in top châteauneuf, we can't stop talking about it before, during and after the meal. Heavy cholesterol is recommended though, we had bacon-knit tournedos and our best fries, courtesy of Anthony Bourdain.
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1/2/2024 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium red, hint of brick.
Warm, earthy, rich and ripe. Super smooth, plums, licorice, leather.
Silky, supple, beautifully balanced. Extremely fine tannins. Hint of orange peel, raspberry, cherry, maraschino, fruit sweet with a lovely earthy edge. Mature fruit profile, but structure to go another decade.
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6/1/2023 - cellardrinker wrote: 99 Points
Absolutely gorgeous. Came out on top in a blind tasting of pure Grenache CDP against 2010 Janasse Chaupin and 2010 Usseglio Mon Aieul among others. The 2006 was a relatively cool vintage wedged between the hotter 2005 and baked 2007. It has held up magnificently and feels much younger than 17 years. The color was deep and tannins still present but not astringent. It is still not at its peak. The clean grenache fruit was stunning and the finsh lasted over a minute. I wish I had more of that wine. Best CDP tasted this year.
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3/4/2022 - Vinominer wrote: 80 Points
I was hopeful. I have not been a fan of cdp since they (mostly) seemingly followed Parker down the rat hole to make one-dimensional cherry bombs that never seem to open into something beautiful. This beast (15% alcohol) was far from worthy of the expense that my gf undertook to try to buy something special. I opened it and decanted; after two hours it was still one dimensional, jammy and alcoholic.
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12/1/2021 - Mr T wrote:
Another excellent showing. Straight from the cellar to the decanter and drunk over the next 2 hours....fruit still vibrant but well balanced and no tannins to speak of. This is my last bottle and they have generally performed very well.
Matt
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3/7/2021 - Glencoewine Likes this wine: 93 Points
PNP. Thanks to James for brining to share on the patio! Evolved nicely over two hours. In a great place now, but no need to rush.
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11/16/2020 - Mr T wrote:
This has aged really nicely and while ripe, it is not overwhelming and grenache flavors are aptly pure. Very good for the vintage and drinks almost Burgundian
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10/23/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Striking combination of lavender, herb, and pungent Grenache red fruit in a medium weight wine. Expressive and just beautiful tonight.
Turns a bit pruny the second night
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4/12/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Deep ruby. Ripe berry aromas. Viscous but not heavy. Succulent raspberry, licorice, and garrigue. Exciting freshness of fruit and real old vine concentration. Much more focused than I expected a 2006 to be. This was a superb bottle.
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10/19/2019 - Doctor Koulodare Likes this wine: 95 Points
Exceptional bottle. Ruby red, kirsch, licorice, spices, opulent mouthfeel, great structure. Mature and delightful.
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8/24/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Full bodied, powerful, slightly masculine in style. the wine is on the structured, classic side. Still, there is lots to like here, with its blast of juicy, sweet, kirsch and garrigue. A few more years could help soften the tannins, making this even more fun to drink.
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2/27/2017 - Mr T wrote:
riper than I really care for
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1/29/2017 - Vancouver Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a great cuvee , where you never know what you are going to get. I suspect its the "natural" wine making and the fact that 100% Grenache is low in acidity and unpredictable ....
In any event this bottle was "on" - lovely and evolved aromas of fresh raspberry, Kirsch liqueur, sweet spice and all sorts of herbs.
Full bodied with very little acidity , but still some tannic structure. Lots of similar characteristics on the palate with pronounced flavor intensity and a long lush hedonistic finish.
Excellent stuff. The 2006 CDP are a classic "forgotten" vintage between 05 and 07 and continue (in my view) to perform well above the vintage's reputation 10 years on. Wines like the 2006 Beaucastel have years ahead of them, but I would drink this one up.
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9/14/2016 - psi wrote: 89 Points
A bit disappointing. Drink up.
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8/9/2016 - lgeeker Likes this wine:
Tuesday Night Double Blind Tasting, $60+ (Bin 75): Sweet nose, fresh, spicy, a bit of alcohol. Still very youthful, would've liked to taste it with more time. Not fooling anyone that it's CdP, but it's a bit in your face still. Came back at the end of the night and it had mellowed some, but I'd really like to try it again in 3-4 years.
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4/23/2016 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Occasional dinner group; A vertical of 15 vintages Clos des Papes and some great extra's. (@ B in SvG): In the bouquet sweet and ripe dark and red forest fruits and good garrigue. On the palate a sweet start with ripe red and dark berries, herbs and spices, good acidity and soft but powerful tannin. Very full bodied and extracted. An enormous wine. Starting to show its beauty now, but there is a lot of future as well. No problem keeping this until 2020+.
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3/22/2016 - Mr T wrote:
Excellent but late in dinner PNP.....excellent with pure sweet fruit
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2/17/2016 - Miceri Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark red towards black; intense fruit, licorice, pepper, strawberry; nice soft sweet powerful attack, a bit dry ending; on the powerful side, but a very nice / excellent wine
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12/6/2015 - Billy Swan wrote:
Good showing from this. On the young side still and needed some time to open up, last glass actually best. Had with entrecôte, bearnaise, zucchini and bell pepper, with cheese and the last glass on it's own. Good with food, but actually best on it's own. Fruit is still very much alive and on the huge side; raspberries, cherries and maybe a wee touch of apricot puré. Classical notes for a Chateauneuf-du-pape come rolling; seaweed, garrigue, a meaty touch and serious mineral. Acidity is surprisingly good for a 100% grenache. Although obviously a huge wine with 15% alcohol i think it has balance. I still like this very much. 93-ish for me, have no problem seeing it rated a lot higher or a lot lower, as this style is divisive. No need to hurry, if you open now, let it breath.
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10/31/2015 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fairly deep garnet in colour. Started off a bit funky and 'old' with a bit of soy sauce/HP Sauce and bouillon in the nose in addition to black cherries, candied strawberries and some alcohol. Huge body. Firmed up with airing, threw away the soy notes and gained an intense lavender/lavender soap note. Further, it had the pure grenache note of something almond/cherry stone like, that I enjoy very much. Certainly true to the area and grape, but in a different way than say, Rayas. This could never be confused with a burgundy.
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8/4/2015 - bonedocnine Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is really hitting its stride. Complexity on the palate with evolved mature flavors balanced by fruit. Drink now with a rich meat dish. Typical of new styled high quality chateauneuf....
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1/27/2015 - Double D wrote: 95 Points
Last bottle and just as rich and bright as it was 6 years ago.
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12/24/2014 - psi wrote: 92 Points
Cherry liqueur, sweet red fruits and herbs. The palate is dominated by sweet kirsch liqueur and spices. The wine has great purity, beautiful concentration, a good balance and a long, pure finish with sweet tannins kicking in. 92-93
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10/26/2014 - Mr T wrote:
Decanted 3 hours before heading out. This is still extremely dark and hardly showing age or the lightness of the vintage. The kirsch, black raspberries and rich flavors described are correct...still drinks heavier than I prefer or would have liked, but this is a very full bodied wine
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5/26/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 98 Points
Lots of Grenache, Syrah and more with friends (Downtown Cleveland): The wines I brought had been opened and poured, so I knew it was safe to open my back up bottle now. This was it. Glad I brought it as for me and about half the crowd, this was the WOTN. This is a huge wine that is just starting to be tamed. The nose has kirsch, black raspberries, spice, black licorice and slight violet notes. Great texture. Big, yet juicy and velvety. On the palate, starting to show some layers as it unwinds in the glass. Great black raspberry fruit, some earthiness, some burnt earth notes too. Long, long finish. Great showing for this bottle.
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3/29/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Powerful nose of bacon, ripe red cherries, nice volatile acidity…. Loads of ripe tannins, surprising acidity, red fresh cherries, very long aftertaste 45 seconds… the wine was getting more and more power/grip with air, and was a bit too string finish… especially knowing his pedigree and being a close neighbor to Rayas…. I didn’t feel anything Rayas in this wine, on the contrary, very brutal and powerful wine 94+/100
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2/16/2014 - jonnyoro wrote: 98 Points
Now after the nasty '01 Cuvée Centenaire this is the real deal- popped and poured - viscous, kirsch, raspberry, sage, other herbs, perfume- this wine is quite literally intoxicating - super smooth with a finish that goes on for minutes- a beautiful wine-
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11/30/2013 - Frommen wrote: 90 Points
Raisins and plums dominates this effort. A bit alcoholic. not that inspiring...
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8/31/2013 - deverett wrote: 93 Points
Still very young but impeccably made. Concentrated but with enough restraint to keep it in check. Savoury, spicy, charcuterie, ripe and dark red fruit flavours in abundance. Need a few more years to soften a few rough edges. Has plenty of power and stuffing but a good structure that will see it age pretty well.
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6/28/2013 - Uglypinga wrote:
Cherry and dark berry liqueur on the nose. The palate is big and disjointed with lots of fruit but also lots of heat. A bit grainy in texture. Disappointing.
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5/4/2013 - Frommen wrote: 90 Points
Raisins and plums dominates this effort. A bit alcoholic. not that inspiring...
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3/31/2013 - psi wrote: 93 Points
A pleasure. Pure and complex nose of cherry liqueur, sweet red fruits and herbs. The palate is dominated by sweet kirsch liqueur and spices. The wine has great purity, beautiful concentration and a good balance. Too much kirsch liqueur to my palate, but still a convincing wine.
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2/25/2013 - MayValley wrote: 92 Points
This is the fourth bottle i have had of this wine. It has never been one of my favorite pure, and it has always been inferior to the 05 and 07.
The nose was slightly rustique with herbs, earth, bitter almonds and kirsch liqueur.
The palate was full bodied, with good structure, sweet red but also black fruit but maybe lacking a bit in overal balance. The wine is in my view not far from maturity.
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1/1/2013 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 95 Points
Just an awesome wine. Decanted for 3 hours prior to drinking which really opened the wine up. Medium body style with soft tannins and great finish. Need to find some more for this and see how it ages. Have the feeling has a long life ahead of it.
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11/26/2012 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim. Great nose of ripe red berries, medium-full body, smooth palate feel, ripe fruit, great balance and finish, outstanding.
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7/14/2012 - Double D wrote: 94 Points
Great CdP and ready to drink.
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5/24/2012 - rnyrny79 wrote: 94 Points
Tasted the last bottle from my cellar - Almost perfect nose of summer herbal garden with strawberries, rasberries, herbes, hint of spice and blackberries at the end. The wine taste as the bouquet leaving your palate with a silky smooth and light impression of someone who has carred for this wine. The only thing I miss from this wine as a bit more intensity on both the nose and palate but again this works perfectly for a summer afternoon! For the price tag (Paid 80 $) this is a fantastic wine and I want to find more. Last time I gave this wine 95. I give it 94 today, not because the wine is less great (was exactely as great as last time), I guess my own tasting experience and demand for perfection (100 points) has gone up.
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4/25/2012 - BradA wrote: 92 Points
Brought to a dinner with suppliers:
Just a big brawny grenache hit---high in alcohol, profile and unctousness. I would assume this will calm a bit with time, but alas--it was my last btl. drink or hold
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1/16/2012 - Mr T wrote:
First bottle of this....opened around noon and slow oxed with a small glass poured off to let in the air until dinner on Xmas day....at dinner strong, pure flavors of strawberry in particular and the alcohol in balance especially b/c I had kept it in the cellar to avoid too much heat....generally don't like CNP youg b/c it gets too hot or candied, but this was balanced b/c of the time it had...still would have liked more time to let the wine play out and open which I could not do given our crowd of 23...looking forward to the the next bottle
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11/5/2011 - MayValley wrote: 93 Points
Very extreme nose of cherry liqueur and very sweet red fruits.
On the palate the wine is filled with sweet red fruits, strawberries, spices and an elegance that keeps it all together. After the 2000 la Mission, the wine did seem a little clumsy however.
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6/26/2011 - rnyrny79 wrote: 95 Points
Excellent wine!
Preparation: Decanted for 1½ hour and served 3 degrees cooler than room temperature (25 degrees)
Notes: The Nose shows beautiful complexity of mint, herbs red and dark berries. The complexity is not that profound on the palate which gives a delicious taste of red and dark berries finishing off with notes of cigarbox. Medium to full-body. A little hot on the finish which should mellow out giving it 3-5 years of cellaring.
Points: Colour: 5, Aroma: 15, Flavour & Finish: 17, Potential: 8
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3/31/2011 - scamhi wrote:
at Gramercy Tavern..decanted 1-1/2 hours
very nice wine. smooth tannins and not heavy handed grenache. a taster described it as weightless and it was.
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3/29/2011 - jvogel wrote:
I really wanted to find some way of improving on Paul S's note, but it's so spot-on that I'm unwilling to go beyond or even parallel it. For me, this is the fermented essence of ripe Grenache, what old vines produce when they're doted on like favored grandchildren, when everything is so perfectly aligned that the wine transcends what we comprehend intellectually as "wine". This was so, well, pure: light and effortless, but such insane flavor crammed onto every atom of Grenache. It does not remind of Rayas, despite Grande Pierre's proximity. But the near weightlessness of the wine DOES remind of Rayas and, perhaps more accurately, of every quintessential CdP grown in sand (Giraud's le Grenache de Pierre, La Bastide St Dominique's Secret de Pignan, Cristia's Vieilles Vignes, and very few others). This is a wine that showcases what mid-palate presence REALLY is--not a notion, not an aim or an end, just pure perfection, phenologically and physiologically. I can't for the life of me fathom why 2006 never got the cred that it's bookend vintages got. Frankly, it's something that continues to work to us consumers' advantage, so I'm not complaining. It remains my favorite vintage of the three. And this wine is emphatically THE single best bottle of CdP I have yet to taste from this great and understated vintage.
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1/25/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Alcohol :: 15%
Unmistakably, this is a wine made from 100% Grenache as this possessed superb focus, deep core of sweet pure dark fruits such as plum, blackberry, dried fig paste, Provencal herb with remarkably freshness. Very sweet entry that generated by layer and layer of concentrated pure dark fruits, opulent, almost voluptuous with firm structure which form by the solid acid spine, great mid palate depth. This is still a baby, with primary flavor, un-evolved. The transition between the mid palate attack to the finished is not so smooth, slightly weak finish that's seems kinda simple today, with mineral and preserve plum undertones. Not a wine for enjoyment today but it show great purity of fruits, structure and aging potential. If you have this wine, keep it away for at least 10yrs. Buy - Re-taste is needed.
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1/25/2011 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
2011 Simple Series II: Henry's Dinner (Huat Kee, Amoy Street): Absolutely superb. The youngest wine of the night by far, but this threatened to outstage the gorgeous 1998 Trotanoy which was the WOTN for most people. At last, a 100% Grenache CdP that was neither spoofy, sugary nor flabby. This had a dusky Provencal nose of stewed dark cherries, garrigue, earth and herbs, very nice. The palate was certainly very rich and really powerful, with deep layers of prunes and cherries, and there was certainly a ripe sweetness to it, almost kirsch-like at points, yet all this was wed to lovely fresh balance and a wonderful sense of purity. In fact, it was restrained enough so that the immensely concentrated fruit on the mid-palate did not drown out subtler tones of black licorice, garrigue and incense. This would not normally be my favourite sytle for a CdP, but the wine was actually was actually quite profound, and offered a hint of a tremendous complexity that could unfurl with time. The super-long finish showed the same focused, balance feel that was evident on the rest of the wine, finishing with a dash of spice to go along with the sweet dark fruit tones. A delicious young wine, and one that has a long, long future ahead of it. Bravo.
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1/9/2011 - Miceri wrote: 94 Points
Medium dark red; ripe fruit, rich, smooth, balanced, pronounced licorice; excellent
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12/15/2010 - Johisco wrote: 95 Points
Excellent!
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12/5/2010 - cct wrote: 93 Points
Much more restrained, and while sporting big extract, this has some beauty. Lovely grenache, with clarity and precision. Excellent. 93 pts
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10/5/2010 - bonedocnine wrote: 94 Points
what a stunner. this wine is impressive yet again. what a treat.
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8/22/2010 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Very friendly bouquet with ripe red fruits. Strawberries. On the palate a bit sweet very ripe black fruits. Full bodied, but also elegant. Great wine, already a great pleasure, but with enough future.
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8/11/2010 - psi wrote: 92 Points
While having had a 2004 Pure a few years ago that was completely shut down, I considered this to be my first true encounter with this wine. Thinking of the neighboring soils of Rayas, this wine surprised both in terms of degree of colour, sweetness and concentration. This is an extremely well made wine with a complex nose of cherry, spice, licorice, marzipan, mineral and hints of garrigue. The palate is dominated by sweet kirsch liqueur, licorice and spices. The wine has great purity, beautiful concentration and balance and a long, pure finish with sweet tannins kicking in very nicely, but I just can't help thinking that a lesser degree of extract would have benefited the wine. While I love notes of cherry and kirsch in a Chateauneuf, I am less fond of notes of sweet kirsch liqueur. Maybe this will integrate with time. Easily 95-96 points to people loving a port-like Chateauneuf, but I set my expectations for future improvement and hope that things with settle with further time in the bottle. 92-93+
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7/29/2010 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Powerfull nose of cherries jam... in the month, light tannins, good lenght, ripe cherries, ripe peperonis, white peper
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5/19/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 87 Points
2006 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Pure (Frankrijk, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Kleur: Robijnrood Aroma / bouquet: Eerste indruk is die van zoetig fruit, amarene-kers, menthol, jodium / inkt en eucalyptus. Droppig: laurier. Smaak / Afdronk: Zoetig mondgevoel, zacht zuur, boordevol ronde tannines, zeer nadrukkelijk bittertje / laurierdropjes. Algemeen / potentieel: 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 14 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 87/100
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4/18/2010 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
loved it! unusual package for a CDP, but it delivers on the nose and on the palette. Big bold and well integrated.
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4/9/2010 - jonnyoro wrote: 100 Points
a perfect chateauneuf- drinking much better than the grapey 2007- when critics say it fills out in the bottle, they would say this wine is a poster child for that. great structure and depth of flavor and finish- one of the finest young chateauneufs i've had. Made the 2007 Scarecrow next to it look like a piker. a '95 chapoutier barbe rac was cooked.
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1/27/2010 - David J Cooper wrote:
Pretty clear and medium red. The nose seems a bit tight at first but the concentration is there. Raspbery and cherry with spice, mineral and stone. The flavours are slightly sweet silky red fruit and the finish is very balanced. Julien had poured a large glsss of this at the begginning of lunch to allow the bottle to breath. later he poured some of that glass into mine and it seemed quite a bit more open. Needs a good five years in the cellar, but with a 4 hour decant would be fantastic now.
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12/25/2009 - Double D wrote: 95 Points
What a mouthfull...the first sip will transport you to another place. This is a very big wine, not quite over the top. The other two bottles are going to get a few more years of bottle aging and I hope the wine will be a bit more unified. Great choice for Christmas with thick grilled lamb chops.
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9/27/2009 - Ekoostik wrote: 94 Points
Not detailed as I took this out for corkage (Range). This is definitely a modern styled cdp with just incredible fruit concentration and a full body that just sailed seemlessly from start to finish. Super dark and insanle concetration for 100%? Grenache as this leans out of the cherry/strawberry realm and way into the black fruits. Impressive for what it is though, the best CA Grenache Ive had from France to date.
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1/30/2009 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Garden lovage. A lot of good and ripe primary fruits. The rest of the spices and herbs are hidden behind the fruit. Good tannin. Great concentration. Much too young, but great wine. (Nice someone brought it, but I will wait with my bottles. This will only gain the next decade. The TN and score are blind.)
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12/7/2008 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
A mouth full of wine and a wine of great quality! Juicy and ripe black and red fruits. Soft and beautiful spiciness. Good bitterness and tannin. Very full bodied. A lot of pleasant sweetness. Give it another 5 years, but in 10+ years this will still be great!
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11/30/2008 - Philippe_C wrote: 96 Points
Beautifull nose of cherries jam, oriental spices and even some meat... in the mounth, very ripe red fruit, strawberries, cherries, spices... very long aftertaste... great wine!!
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10/10/2008 - Finare Vinare wrote: 94 Points
To smell 2006 Pure in the decanter is an almost erotic sensation, evoking moans of pleasure. It reminds us of the barrel sample of Pure 2007: an elixir of red cherries, raspberry reduction and strawberry jam - blueprint grenache fruit. Just one other note at this moment: lots of crushed stone. An hour later in the glass: deep, dark, bluiesh red. Now we get a pretty nervous nose with hints of perfume, chemical overtones and sharp edges everywhere. Youthful cherry cores and lots of fresh herbs from the garden. Cocktail cherries, shaves of nutmeg, almond body lotion and lots of sweet liquorice are other notes at this stage. But the pure essence of fruit is a bit reluctant right now. We taste the wine and receive a direct hit, smack in the face. The sandy tannins are pretty smooth, and the lustful, creamy taste is heavily infused with sweet liquorice. We also sense a notable chilli heat and a slight wormwood bitterness in the aftertaste. Yes, there's abundant alcoholic sweetness and dripping sweet liquorice, but still we get a fresh overall mouthfeel thanks to great acids and minerals. Aromas of black pepper and herbs supply more of the necessary freshness. And it is actually very accessible - Julien Barrot is a whizard of early drinkability in top châteauneuf, we can't stop talking about it before, during and after the meal. Heavy cholesterol is recommended though, we had bacon-knit tournedos and our best fries, courtesy of Anthony Bourdain.
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