RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  12/30/2010 (link) 90 points

  (Domaine du Clos d'Alari Côtes de Provence Grand Clos) Dark red violet color; espresso, baked berry, mocha, mint nose; mocha, mint, espresso, tart plum palate; medium finish

• By Richard Jennings
  10/2/2009 (link) 89 points

  (Domaine du Clos d'Alari Côtes de Provence Grand Clos) Very dark red violet color; graphite, tar, sage nose; graphite, smoke, roasted meat, tart black fruit, sage palate; medium finish

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  12/21/2007 (link)

  (Clos ALARI Grand Clos) Alari Dear Friends, First of all, thank you to everyone that requested the Vouvray yesterday, the response was nothing short of amazing and we had requests from at least 16 different countries (at last count). I want everyone to know we did not play favorites with this wine (we never do - this is a co-op mentality where every customer is on the same level playing field - a policy that we have stuck to since day one). Even after reducing the number of “first come first served” bottles to 3/person (so we could double the number of people that would get wine), it still didn’t last very long and we did what we said we were going to do - we invoiced in the exact order responses came in to us. To those that received an allocation, enjoy the wine, to everyone else, I'll try to make it up to you with just as many enticing propositions in 2008.... Starting with this one. I can’t think of a more fitting way to end 2007 than with one of my favorite characters in the wine trade and one who makes my top ten personalities of the year: Nathalie Vancoillie - the whirlwind behind Domaine du Clos d’Alari (not to be confused with Alary) As far as female forces in the wine trade go, Nathalie is right up there with the Silvia Imparato’s of the world (Montevetrano). She is not only a wine-steward to be reckoned with but also as a leader of a new era in Provenance, one of wine freedom and responsibility that includes a contribution to eco-sensitivity and consumer rights. One can only imagine what prices would be fetched for something like her “Grand Clos” if the soil were in Chateaneuf du Pape? If Nathalie had any say, her CdP (if it existed) would be very well-priced as well. Without making comparisons, she would like nothing more than to have the wines of the Cotes du Provence stand alone as singular entities all their own. Clos d’Alari, along with Dupere Barrera and Chateau Margui are the guiding lights of the new Provence but Alari has something the others don’t - the lowest prices for the quality level of the new regime and that is entirely the doing of Nathalie Vancoillie. If you are a fan of the NoWat (No Watt) and Margui, this is a wine to throw caution to the wind with - to just open your shuttered windows for the first time in spring, to allow the scent of sage brush and dried rosemary to sweep you aside to a place that is about day-dreams and a slower way of life...even if your shutters are on 53rd St and 8th Ave. Clos d’Alari remains one of the most difficult wines to get in Provence. They do not play games, submit samples to critics or care if their wine ever gets reviewed - they don’t need to. With a loyal following in the south that includes restaurateurs, other estate owners and collectors in Marseilles, Nice, Cannes, Toulouse, etc their meager output is gone all from the cellar door. You would think Nathalie would understand supply and demand: if there is extreme demand for your product, raise the price to the point where that demand equals the supply (you think we would have learned that with yesterday’s Vouvray offer as well but I never said I was an accountant) – This low price for the Clos d’Alari Grand Clos when everyone else is getting quite a few dollars more for a wine this fastidiously produced? She won’t budge, preferring to give the consumer something to drink whenever they wish, without pretense and without any worry for opening a bottle for lunch, a picnic or dinner on a Monday night - just as it should be. This is the type of attitude that we should go out of our way to support - it is so fleeting in this world full of greed and A-type personalities that watching out for the good of others has (unfortunately) become something to prop up on a pedestal instead of how all of us should act. Oh yeah, what about the wine? If you read Tanzer’s recent comments about the loss of Syrah (in his Chave vertical where he was quick to point out the recent, disturbing internationalization of Rhone Syrah, including Chave, and the loss of the true varietal character of this grape) you need look no further than the Grand Clos of Alari - this is the soul of the South of France. Produced with no oak of any kind and only the pure, unadulterated varietal character of the beautifully ripened Syrah and Grenache comes through loud and clear (plus a sneaky old-vine parcel of Cabernet that they have used for years to add backbone and tannin - just like Margui). The transparency is so clear in fact, that a wine like this should be used as a study to understand how flaws can be covered by the over-use of oak and how something fragile and ultimately delightful can be fleeting but profound nonetheless. The 2004 Clos d’Alari is the freshest ambassador of charm, intensity, varietal fruit, dried brush and lingering pure fruit that one could ask for - almost as a tank sample of Provence itself. I almost hesitate to describe the wine as it’s medium weight personality has so much to say on its own. With low alcohol (13%) and a smile as wide as the ocean, this is a wine all of us can wrap our arms around and be proud to open for our guests. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fabulous price/value and support of one of the most worthy woman (or anyone for that matter) in the wine trade ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly form the source with perfect provenance: 2004 Domaine du Clos d’Alari Cotes de Provence “Grand Clos” Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA SOFR4470