Community Tasting Notes 10

• La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 94 points

  December 6, 2022 - This deep ruby blend of 77% Grenache and 23% Mourvèdre is fleshing out nicely. Packed with dark bramble fruits, Provençal herbs, pipe tobacco, bittersweet chocolate, black pepper and licorice, it is a full-bodied, freshly acidic red with well-integrated wood and polished tannins. Dense on the mid-palate and long on the back end, it is a joy to drink at this stage in its evolution. This particular bottle was decanted off of its sediment and serially tasted over three hours. Give it an hour or more in carafe for maximal enjoyment. Drink 2021-2026.

  Comment

• DavidWong168 Likes this wine: 93 points

  September 11, 2021 - Bottle 1826 of 4500. Decanted for two hours.
  
  Medium ruby. Garrigue galore on the nose - a resinous confluence of green herbs, bramble and underbrush. You quickly realize that, no, this is not your run-of-the-mill CdP. You’ve been upgraded to the 360-degree, 4D, immersive experience that is CdP gone wild.
  
  Ripe strawberry and cherry lead the assault on the palate. Close behind are earthiness and more garrigue. Immediately captivating and alluring; there’s no escape from its seduction. The tannins are seamless and the finish lasts a minute. Could this be the archetypal Châteauneuf du Pape?
  
  Went great with a spicy lamb and gyro platter.

  1 person found this helpful Comments (1)

• apple1813 wrote: 94 points

  August 6, 2020 - Thanks Alison for sharing such an impressive bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We shared a few great bottles before, so I was probably not in the best condition to appreciate this great wine. The tasting notes were written on the following day from memory.
  
  2016 Clos Bellane Châteauneuf-du-Pape Urgonien was rich, complex and seductive. The youthful Grenache-based wine was deep ruby in colour with some sediments. Impressive aromatics of ripe dark cherries, blackberry, thyme and fennel herbs jumped out of the glass, followed by meat, violet, liqourice and Oriental spices. The mouthfeel was dry, rich, meaty and full-bodied, complemented with rather high level of velvety tannin and medium level of balanced acidity. Impressive flavours of strawberries, ripe dark fruits, garrigue, sweet spices and saline minerality lingered in a long remarkable finish. I was blown away by its polish and layered complexities, and how well the 15% alcohol was concealed. The blend was composed of 75% Grenache and 25% Mourvèdre.
  
  Tasted next to 2014 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas, the 2016 Clos Bellane CdP was more enjoyable with greater depth of flavours and almost seamless tannin structure. Don't get me wrong. Tablas Creek had its merits in relative freshness and restraint. It was just impressive how the CdP managed to pack such intensity and complexity of flavours without being heavy.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• MichaelSy Likes this wine: 96 points

  June 15, 2020 - I thoroughly enjoyed this CNdP - especially for the sharp price point. I liked the mellow but incredibly deep and persistent notes of leather, wood, mushrooms and rich black fruits. This is a wine that speaks of quality fruit and gentle time in concrete. It can easily be set aside for longer but the 2017 is already super approachable and bound to make a good impression!

  2 people found this helpful Comment

• srh Likes this wine:

  September 7, 2019 - Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whts, & 8 Reds] from 09/6/19 + 2 Shared, Milton Freewater (Aka: The Rocks) AVA Reds (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 77% Grenache & 23% Mourvèdre grown in Urgonien limestone soils; Destemmed, 3-4 week vinification using indigenous yeast; Aged 12-15 mos in concrete vats (80%) & 1-2 yr old 228-L oak casks (20%); Unfined;
  
  N: RIPE berries with notes of garrigue
  
  P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt fairly quickly met by an astringent pucker which pretty much works itself out by the LONG, BALANCED finish with an enticing, tangy/swtness even now. NEEDS through '22, then easily making its 10th. 15% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 94-96 pt WA (Czerwinski), 93-95 Dunnuck, & 91-93 Vinous (Raynolds). [This vendor's $39.95 is as good as any on wine-searcher.]

  1 person found this helpful Comment

Pro Reviews 3

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2016
• Type Red
• Producer Clos Bellane
• Varietal Grenache Blend
• Designation Urgonien
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Rhône
• SubRegion Southern Rhône
• Appellation Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 1 (1%)
• In Cellars 127 (70%)
• Consumed 53 (29%)

Food Pairing

Who Likes This Wine

More About This Wine