Vinous

• By Josh Raynolds
  January/February 2007, IWC Issue #130 (link)

  (Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  12/27/2008 (link)

  (BARROCHE CdP Cuvee Reserve) Weekend Rhone Dear Friends, I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday - here is a small list of Rhone re-order wines that I was able to secure more of (from offers over the past few years). We always receive requests for additional wine after people begin to open their bottles but most are no longer available - once in a while I get lucky and find a small additional Parcel. All should be at great prices with impeccable provenance: 2005 Domaine la Barroche Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Reserve Ok, this isn't the Parker 100pt 2005 Barroche "Pure" but, at this price, I don't think anyone will care? The Cuvee Reserve is Barroche's most traditional wine but it remains somewhat controversial due to the expectations provided by the Pure (a far more extracted example). Those expecting the modern intensity of the "Pure" have been taken aback by the restrained style of the Cuvee Reserve. On the other hand, if your preference leans toward the medium weight and old-style of CdP, this wine is poised to evolve into something quite interesting - especially at this price, what should be the lowest in the world by a wide margin: 2004 Jean-Michel Stephan Cote Rotie This wine has evolved in a beautiful way - full of animale, funk and the perfumed, meaty tones that can only come from the hillsides above Ampuis. In some ways, this reminds me of a medium weight top-flight Saint-Joseph for its natural leaning but more than ample material. Stephan is leading the way in Cote Rotie toward a vinification style that challenges the old-guard (no additions, no chemicals, no added yeast) and he's quite the talk of the town. This wine will be admired by many - it proves that Cote Rotie doesn't have to cost a fortune to deliver a lovely drinking experience: 2004 Jean-Michel Stephan Cote Rotie "en Coteaux" From some of the oldest vines in Cote Rotie, those in Ampuis will tell you Stephan's "en Coteaux" is one of the very best wines of the region. If you give this limited production wine 6-10 years in the cellar it should provide a magical experience. This is nowhere near as poor as Parker's review but his verbiage has the wine at almost half price (keep in mind, James Molesworth tried the wine after it had time to settle down - nearly half a year in bottle. Parker tried the wine after only one week in bottle). After a complete retrospective of the entire vintage, Molesworth only rated three wines higher than this (only by one point): Guigal's La Landonne, La Mouline and Ogier's Lancement - that's it. If you are into Cote Rotie, this should be more than worth the gamble and it's at a crazy price - only 120 cases produced and most went to restaurants in France: Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Rhone7620 Rhone7630 Rhone7640

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/5/2007 (link)

  (BARROCHE 6-PACK (3,2,1)) 2005 Barroche Dear Friends, A lot has been said about the 2005 portfolio from Domaine La Barroche and their uplifting and inspirational efforts are just that (not to mention the ominous mention from Parker on his site regarding the elite producers of the vintage, of which Barroche was one). Josh Raynolds has already waxed poetic on this entire 2005 portfolio and I’m quite sure the wines will continue to receive the highest accolades from other figureheads of influence. This is a 2005 portfolio that is difficult to deny regardless of your palate preference. I’ve seen numerous offers for these wines but I was able to get a small parcel as a 6-pack that has offset the pricing by as much as 30%. The only catch is that I “had” to bring these in as 6-packs so I’m passing them on to you in the same format. Maybe I should wait for the next set of reviews as a few of these (the Fiancee and Pure) have a chance at the triple digit score and it wouldn’t surprise me if a single bottle of the 2005 Pure was selling next year for the same amount that we are charging for this entire 6-pack (in reality, the Reserve may actually be preferred to the other two by many of you due to its traditional upbringing - sort of a Pegau for a new generation and many have compared it to the classic style of older Rayas). In any regard, these are unbelievably impressive wines that are so underpriced versus their neighbors that I’m quite excited to bring them to you at what should be some of the best prices in the world. The 2005 Domaine La Barroche 6-Pack STRICT LIMIT 1/person 3 bottles - 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape "Reserve" 2 bottles - 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape "Fiancee" 1 bottle - 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape "Pure" ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the source with perfect provenance STRICT LIMIT 1/6-pack per person Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Rhone7950