2019 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 96.3 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View ERU's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/18/2024 - ERU wrote: 97 Points

  Quick decant (30 minutes?) in restaurant setting. Needed more, but still soooo good. Excited to try since I’m looking to get some 2019 DEM and wanted a confirmation of my ravenous thirst.
  
  I agree with much of RhoneWho’s note, especially with the 2016 being more unctuous. (In a good way—bring it on.) With my 2019 DEM experience being a little over a year later, I can say this still needs some time. Pepper and black fruits from Mourvèdre, brightness from the Grenache. I want to see how much this “digs in” with more cellar time. I like my CdPs with Mourvedre deeeeeep—think Mariana Trench. With some leviathan or Lovecraftian entity. DEEP. This can go there for sure. Had first glass alone, second glass with Asian-spiced steak. Great both times.
  
  I am wondering what vintage of DEM will be the last with Philippe Cambie being involved. We should have a handful of years more?

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Avicenne's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/22/2023 - Avicenne wrote: 97 Points

  Clos St-Jean Deus-ex machina 2019
  Avec excellente picanha bbq.
  J’ai deja eu quelques expériences avec la Combe des fous 2015, mais première avec cette cuvee. Une licorne qu’on chasse aux loteries.
  2019 est une super année en Rhone.
  60% grenache vieilles vignes 1905 elevee en cuve béton, 40% mourvedre en barrique neuve.
  Sur le laurier, garrigues, poivre, cinq épices. C’est exubérant et complexe. La bouche est longue, dense, tannins granuleux, jolis amers.
  
  Me fait penser a un Beaucastel aux stéroïdes.
  La Combe des fous fait beaucoup plus vanillé et cerise. Celui ci est plus dans un style provençal.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View RhoneWho's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/26/2022 - RhoneWho wrote: 99 Points

  After drinking 2016 DEM at CDP, I bought up the remaining case of 2019 vintage at a local wine store as DEM is one of favorite CDPs. The flavor profile reminds me a lot of Janasse Vieilles Vignes, which is also a blend. We drank both 2019 DEM and La Combe Des Fous (LCDF) side by side as both were rated perfect scores by JD. Review on LCDF will be on a separate note.
  
  Like the 2016, the 2019 DEM beauty can be enjoyed by itself without food. It's one of the best CDPs i have had from many vintages; and is definitely a step up from its 2017 vintage. This beauty (a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mouverdre) is really an elegant and harmoniously balanced wine with the grenache driving the aromatics and mouvedre driving the flavor profile brilliantly! The only difference of 2019 from the 2016 is that it still needs a few more years to settle down and shed its baby fat (resolve its structural youthfulness) before reaching its perfection.
  
  Bouquet: Very long uplighting perfume of sweet, ripe rich darker (blue) fruit with subtle garrigue notes driven by Grenache component. The aromatics lingers for long long time! Darn memorable.
  
  Palate: Weightless, pure yet concentrated ripe dark blue fruit intermixed with subtle cocoa and herbs (driven by Mourvedre) flavor.
  
  Texture: Seamless super-fine tannins with acidity masked under juicy rich dark fruit flavor. This wine is velvet, and full body resulting in a very long and supple finish. The 2019 is not as unctuous as the 2016 which could reflect the vintage.
  
  Keywords: Elegant, Balance, Uplighting rich aromatics
  Scoring range: 98-100; 98+

  6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View chatters's profile
  • Report Issue

  8/9/2022 - chatters wrote:

  Second Tuesday club - 2019 Rhone Valley Red and Whites (Le Petit Flor Restaurant, Sydney): Ripe, rich, dense, baked red over black fruit, a little strawberry and a meaty note with time in the glass. In the mouth it's dense, jammy but savoury, thick, alcoholic, rustic, a bit rough, alcohol carries the finish. Woof after the last bracket.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Sonoma-W's profile
  • Report Issue

  2/12/2022 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Wow! Incredibly well rounded - intense dark fruit; no hard edges

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.