This was shining tonight! Had it with pasta puttanesca and it was fabulous. Earth and berry nose, cocoa and cherry fruit on the mid-palate. A 2 hour decant calmed down the big fruitiness that originally emerged upon opening. 4 hours in and the secondary characteristics emerged with beautiful balance and fine tannins in the finish. A dandy drink.
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2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Horizontal (San Diego, CA): Over ripe strawberries, over ripe black cherries,over ripe raspberries, smoked wood and rose petals on the nose. It smells a little extracted and concentrated, with a high intensity of aromas. The palate adds dark chocolate, allspice, tobacco, Kirschwasser and bitter herbs. This really tastes like chocolate covered cherries more than anything else. Medium + intensity of flavors. This wine feels well made and ticks all the boxes most want in a 11 year old CdP. If anything, it's a tad boring. Driven by fruit and oak, it's missing some of the non-fruit notes I really like in older CdP.
Medium + body with medium acid, medium - tannin and a medium finish. The 15% alcohol is pretty well hidden here. Maybe there's a slight burn when drinking it; but it's quite smooth given the ABV. Can drink now or age 2-5 more years in the bottle.
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Initially a really strong gamey note on the nose, but this fell to the background with time as dark berries & floral elements came to the fore. Full bodied, medium acidity and still some medium tannic grip. Long & complex, with some spices in the finish.
I was worried about the alcohol level of this wine. I could smell the alcohol, but surprisingly I didn't feel any heat. However, I could feel the alcohol affect me over the night much more than half a bottle of wine typically does. I liked this overall but I'm not sure I'd want to have too many glasses of this on one night. I'll be curious to see how this compares to the 2014 which has only 14% ABV.
This cost about £60, which feels about right. I'd question the QPR at 139,90€ as Forceberry mentions below.
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È in un momento perfetto. Concordo con le note precedenti, nessun bisogno di decantarlo, aperto un’oretta per fargli prendere temperatura dalla cantina di 14 gradi, il vino è già al top. Colore granato bellissimo, più limpido della classica grenache , naso tipico, odore di mediterraneo, frutta matura ma non marmellatosa, legno giusto, balsamicità, bevuto in diverse ore, non da segni di cedimento. La bocca è veramente ben strutturata, l’alcol c’è (15%) ma è ben assorbito, da morbidezza e acidità ben presente, sorso veramente pieno è appagante con grande lunghezza e corrispondenza naso-bocca. Buonissimo CdP, peccato avevo solo una bottiglia.
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Classic stuff, great dark cherry and rose water. Decanted but not sure it needed it, opened up right away. Wonderful finish…this has a few more years but can’t go wrong drinking now.
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A blend of organically farmed Grenache (60%), Mourvèdre (20%) and Syrah (15%); the remaining 5% rounded out by a combination of Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin and Vaccarèse. The fruit gets fully destemmed before the spontaneous fermentation. Aged in old, neutral oak foudres up to 18 months, depending on the vintage. Bottled unfiltered. 15% alcohol (according to the label; 15,4% according to the analyses), 1 g/l residual sugar and 4,7 g/l acidity.
Deep, dark and moderately opaque garnet color. The nose feels brooding, somewhat evolved and a bit reticent with aromas of wizened dark berries, some tertiary meaty and gamey tones, a little bit of garrigue, light strawberry nuances, a fragrant hint of dried flowers, a touch of earthy spices and a sweet whiff of blackberry jam. The alcohol lends a rather hot element to the nose. The wine feels dense, chewy and quite juicy on the palate with a full body and concentrated flavors of blackberries and dark plummy fruit, some licorice tones, light evolved notes of dried figs, a little bit of tobacco and earth, a sweet hint of ripe blueberries and a candied touch of black Bassett's wine gums. The overall feel is somewhat hot and a bit fat, thanks to the medium acidity and soft medium-minus tannins that don't seem to bring enough structure and balance to the wine. The finish is long, savory and quite hot with a tiny bit of tannic grip and a bold aftertaste of ripe blackberries and juicy dark plums, some strawberry notes, a little bit of old leather, light earthy notes, a hint of savory spice and a touch of dried flowers.
A rather big and substantial vintage of Clos des Papes that is enjoyably savory and dark-toned in flavor profile, but perhaps a bit too soft and high in alcohol as a whole. Based on how relatively youthful the wine is still is for its age and how it seems to slowly open up and improve in the glass, I feel there is still some aging potential here and most likely the wine will continue to age and improve with further cellaring - at least for a handful of years more. However, with its somewhat soft and cumbersome disposition, I feel this wine isn't going to turn out particularly elegant with any amount of aging. This is a pretty good and thoroughly enjoyable effort for such a big and ripe wine, but I'd rather have it with less alcohol and more acidity. At 139,90€ the price doesn't really make sense.
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Coravin tasting. This wine is starting to happen! Medium ruby color, nice blackberry and subtle secondary aromas. A bit of molasses/brown sugar, leather, and tobacco tastes. Will keep holding these but I’m excited for what they’re beginning to turn into.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS: Clos des Papes (By AH): The bouquet is still somewhat locked but shows red and dark berries, cherries and garrigue. On the palate very juicy red and dark berries and a lot of herbs. Beautifully fresh acidity and good tannin. Very beautiful full bodied wine with good complexity.
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PnP. Color is deep dark red w orange/brown tint to the edge. Nose is red fruit, licorice, cedar, cinnamon, wet soil. Palate is strawberry, ground pepper, plum, a smoky wood note. Medium- to full-bodied, a bit of a spicy tannic aspect, long finish. Well balanced, classic CdP.
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Garnet showing some maturity. Lovely nose of spice, pepper and soft black fruit. Plush mouthfeel and pretty fruit with a nice soft tannin landing. Light footed and elegant in this vintage - more Rayas than might normally be expected?
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Similar to my note last year. Also no decant last night. Wonderful right out of the bottle. Had more depth than a 2018 Beaucastel we drank before. Hanging out at its peak, no rush.
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Wow, this is a stunner. PnP and drunk over one hour. So much going on in the nose and palate. Excellent mouthfeel and a long finish. No one had any idea this was 15.4%. So balanced and delicious. Family couldn't stop talking about it. Hating myself for only buying one.
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Decanted 30 minutes and poured back into bottle. All it needs now. Poured 1/4 glasses. OldWorld nose. Lots of flavor layers. Wine is drinking beautifully now so crack one open. So great with lamb kabobs. Yummy.
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Very closed first, with dark fruits, some nice spice as well, palate was quite tannic still, needed much air to be in better shape :)
After One hour opening it starts to reveal more garrigue and strawberry flavors, deeper and more elegant and a much softer palate... still not the best form so far... needs IMO even more air
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Superb balance! Medium heft on the palate. Did have a short finish though. Loads of dark fruit on the nose. Cherry cola, leather, violets with earth. Was drinking well now but have a couple more bottles I’ll try out over the next few years. Quality CDP!!
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Finally after 10 years this is turning into something. Dark purple color. Decanted 90 minutes. Lots of forest floor, mushrooms & some savory notes. Was a bit sweet initially but that toned down over time but I still find it sweet. Medium/Full mouthfeel. Lots of flavor layers indicative of a well made wine. I have a few CdP in my cellar but don’t drink a lot of these. Not a cheap wine soQPRis average at best. Will probably keep my last three bottles for the long haul just to see what happens.
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Fantastic. So wonderful to drink a high end CDP, and to have as a reference. Well balanced and likely has more years in the tank based on still-firm tannins. Dark cherry, thyme, white peppercorn. Lush. Long finish that becomes thicker and sweeter. Wish I had more bottles.
Although not really my type of wine I was lucky enough to be gifted this magnum last evening where we enjoyed it with a few friends. Probably wasn't right wine for the steaks we had. Huge Nose of mellow fruits and spice, while an almost explosion of round deep tastes finishes this with a bang.
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PNP and drank over next 3 hours. Air helped but pretty good from the start. I tend to judge Bdx more from the nose and Cndp from the mid-palate and that’s where Clos des Papes excels. Bright red fruit, hints of pepper and herbs in the mouth with outstanding tension and finesse through to the long finish. The palate really sets this wine apart. It will probably improve and become more expressive just like past vintages, but it’s also drinking well right now. Take your pick.
I got impatient and opened one of these on Thanksgiving. Enjoyed by the crowd but in my mind still too young as it doesn’t pull together the way I’d expect. Holding the rest for another couple years.
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One of the best 2012's, I've tasted, this combines the lush sexy style of the vintage with real structure and a manly vertical feel. Still young - but approachable. #ChezAvril
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Surprised to see the last two bottles show up at the end of the evening, but they turned out to be perfectly placed. This CdP still has intense nose of earth, red fruit, and a little garrigue. The palate was polished with sweet red cherry notes. Finished long with spicy, herby flavors. Tasty!
QPR 6.5 (of 10)
Aging 2026 at least
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This was a lot better than the last time I opened a bottle. It had well resolved tannins and a mild sois bois. Just not layered and complex. But overall a good drink with a decent finish.
This is delicous. An improvement from my last try. No decant this thing was ready to go. So smooth. Has plenty of energy but for me this is at, or approaching, peak.
C‘est bon, c‘est rond, on ne sent pas les 15 degrés d'alcool. Pas particulièrement expressif cependant. Est-il encore fermé ou va-t-il s’aplatir de plus en plus? Question à se reposer relativement bientôt.
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Excellent Clos des Papes. Probably a little muted right now, needed some time to open up. After 1-2 hours a bouquet of red fruit, some lavender and orange zest evolve. With time a kaleidoscope of Mediterranean spring flowers come up. The palate has fine and sweet, but massive tannins. Only had one (Coravin) glass, but I would really recommend to decant this wine for at least 2 hours, better more. Should easily hold for 2 more decades.
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From a 3L. Cherries, raspberries and a good dose of barnyard. Nicely integrated fruit, earth, and alcohol. Consumed over three-four hours and opened a bit more over time. Will update with day two notes if there is any change.
Edit: Drank about half the 3L, put the cork back in and left at room temp. After ~20 hours, fruit has faded slightly revealing more earth, and for me that is a good thing. Delicious and solid CdP.
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Great, intriguing nose - mature red and black fruit, cassis, touch of sweet flower. Sweet prune plum, blackberry, and then anise on the finish. Not sure why I tasted the anise given the other notes, perhaps my palate is off after the bout with COVID-19 last month?
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I was sort of nervous to try this given so so reviews but it was great. Classic CDP. A touch more heat and pepper than Beaucastel, but not in a bad way. Crazy long finish. Give it 2 more years to see if the heat blows off, but this tasting was encouraging. Have 3 more, drink 2022+
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Good. Not great. I stand by my note from January, 2019. -- "I would be lying if I stated that this was a blockbuster of a vintage from Clos des Papes. It is not. Very earthy. Smooth in one-dimensional wrote someone below, and I would agree. I would also venture to guess that it is in its proper drinking window at this time. For those who know Clos des Papes, there really is not much point in mentioning the obvious characteristics other than to say it probably doesn't have a long life ahead, but certainly has a few more years with which one could lay it down."
Nice bright red cherry with long finish. Bit of heat on backend. Pallet generally feels very bright and fresh and energetic but not terribly complex at this point.
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Drinking beautifully, and even a smidge young. Developed nicely over the course of a couple hours. Don't be in a rush on this one if you're cellaring properly - and enjoy!
This 2012 Clos de Papes is lighter and less intense than the 2007 next to it, but the 2012 is slightly more floral and perfumed. 15.4% alcohol. Tasted blind – Jammy red plums, ripe blackberries, smells like the last wine (Avril Clos de Papes 2007). Slightly perfumed with ripe cassis, smokey tobacco and dark chocolate. Still very young and primary with grippy tannins. Italian? Sangiovese? Tuscan? 2010? I was very wrong with my guess again… (85/100)
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Opaque garnet with clear fading to the rim. Expressive bouquet of perfumed strawberry jam, cinnamon, and just a hint of brett, though not unpleasantly so. This is a more feminine style of Chateauneuf du Pape than some of the other 2012s I have tried. It seems more Grenache dominated with less Syrah than other CDP blends. Some Mourvedre plays a nice harmonizing role as this wine is fruitful, but matched well with silky tannins. Palate is polished with strawberry and raspberry and well integrated notes of cinnamon, cardamon and old leather. Medium plus intensity, medium complexity, medium plus alcohol, high acidity and a full body. Very long finish. This is a highly enjoyable wine that lacks some of the mid-palate complexity of the great CDPs, but it is impeccably made and pleasurable.
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i'm a little less enthusiastic about this than I was in 2014 when it was so new you could still smell the vineyard. it seems to have closed down a bit, not unusual for Clos des Papes in my experience. I tend to find them either delightful in very early youth or lovely and soft in older age. In the middle they are a bit less remarkable. Still fine wine on any given day, of course.
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Revisiting this wine after 5 months, having this shortly after a heavily seasoned Chinese meal. On the nose it is still showing elegant bouquet of flowers, lavender, dried spices, dried parsley, nutmeg. On the palate there's anise, lotus seed, medium bodied, firm and delicious tannins with a slight licorice and hint of bittersweet finish. Medium to long finish. Always my favorite!
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Some improvement relative to my last tasting in 9/2017, but fundamentally this is a highly ripe and alcoholic style of CDP, with minimal complexity. Tasted over 4 hours of decanting. Terrible value, with money better spent on Beaucastel and/or other varietals and makers.
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Unusually expressive and fruit forward, this Clos des Papes has bright berry fruit but still has its old world bones of tobacco, coffee and forest floor on the finish. Despite the contrast, this wine is nicely balanced and drinking very well right now.
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Have to agree with others that this is not the Avril family’s best. A lot of earth tones that obscure what could have been a great wine just buried underneath. Hints of roast beef, raspberry, and leather that tell you this is made by a great producer, but it just fell a little short this time. That said, this is still enjoyable. It is not a bad wine, but could have been a lot more. Score : 90-91. Relative to expectations: -
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Finally, a good CdP. Been let down by several vintages but 2012 brought the goods. Very elegant. Rose petals on the nose. Smooth tannins. Burgundian almost.
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Very dark color with berry nose. Medium/heavy mouth feel with lots of extraction. I decanted this for 3 hours. My feeling is the wine is too young and will open up more with time. A little one dimensional at this point but a big Wine which I like. Will try another bottle in 4-6 months.
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Clos des Papes Vertical: A few conclusions: 1) The wines showed consistently on a good to very good level. 2) The wines have great ageing potential - the 1975 was still singing. 3) If you like almost port wine like ripeness (and high alcohol) you find great wines in the 2000s, for my palate this is just too much (the 2007 vintage with 100 points from the Parker team got a pretty low score from me). 4) More recent vintages show less ripeness, more balance and elegance (although less so in really hot years like in 2015). 5) The 2016 is exceptionally good. Definitely a must buy. Probably the most promising CDP I've had so far. 6) Clos des Papes offers good value for money.
TN: I've had this wine a few times after its release and it developed well since then. This is an opulent wine with layers of dark red fruit, some underbrush, coffee, cacao, some first nice signs of age with some barnyard, truffle scents. With all its opulent fruit is still a fresh and balanced wine thanks to a high and well-integrated acidity. Alcohol level and ripeness, which are a problem in the 2007 and 2015 vintage, are much better kept in check here. A good wine which doesn't need any decanting to shine.
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I would be lying if I stated that this was a blockbuster of a vintage from Clos des Papes. It is not. Very earthy. Smooth in one-dimensional wrote someone below, and I would agree. I would also venture to guess that it is in its proper drinking window at this time. For those who know Clos des Papes, there really is not much point in mentioning the obvious characteristics other than to say it probably doesn't have a long life ahead, but certainly has a few more years with which one could lay it down.
Extremely primary still, way too young but great potential. Wonderful spicy nose with red and blue berries. Only medium aftertaste (yet), also the high alcohol came out here and then. Better in 5-10 years. 92++
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It was totally fine. I’d pay 24 dollars for it. Decanted 3 hours and drank over next 2. Grenache-centric, tannins muted, decent fruit still. I’d say no further upside from cellaring, nice and smooth, one dimensional, on par with good cotes du Rhône. I have one more bottle and will hang on to for another 1-2 years just in case.
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Completely not impressed. Made for critics scores. Rudimentary fruit, soft tannins, no profile that would make me think southern Rhône. I’ve always loved CDP CDP, but more from the ‘04’ish years. This is sweet red, boring wine. Regretting the next 5 bottles. Drink now.
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Small tasting glass @ VINEUM during service, so a brief note. My second to last bottle of two cases of twelve. This remains a blockbuster, coming around more- and more. Still a lot of extraction though, I can imagine some people disliking that in this wine.
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This was a big let down. Served with friends who expect me to bring decent wine and no one paid this any attention at all. It may just be closed but no other tasters seemed to have come to that conclusion. In any case, as it stands, it's really quite non-descript. Quite full bodied, dark colour for a CNDP, generally quite mute... My recommendation would be HOLD, but without any great hope it'll ever turn into a decent wine. I seriously hope my 2015 is a step up as this is at present much worse than my 2012 bois du boursan at less than 1/3 the price. 89+
Overly ripe and fruit-forward to my taste. Grenache is dominant, with notes of strawberries and red fruit, in this CDP. Well-made and in many ways elegant, especially after several hours of decanting, but this is admittedly poor value at nearly $100. Beaucastel CDPs offer so much more, in my opinion and tasting experience.
Clos des Papes tasting in CPH with Avril (BarVin Copenhagen): This have certainly gained weight since last tasted; it has the juiciness and direct approach of the vintage (Mr. Avril confirmed as much); rich, lush, in your face, quite loveable... will improve, still. 92+
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Très moderne si on compare au 2007, 2009, 2010, impact millésime? nous est apparu plus bombe de fruit. Nez qui embaume, un peu bonbon, vanille et gros fruit noir, ça sent l'extraction. En bouche, joufflu et assez imposant, beaucoup de fruit et assez unidimensionnel...il lui manque le petit côté Garrigue et herbe et aussi les épices. Long avec un peu de chauffe. Bien fait, un vin facile mais pas notre style!
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Strawberries, citrus, and eucalyptus on the nose. On the palate, strawberry, cherry candy, rose petals, and black and blue fruit, with notes of anise, iodine, and white pepper on the medium finish, with moderate tannins and good acidity. It's a little young, but it's not infanticide to open it now. This is an excellent Chateauneuf, but given that this costs $90+ the value for money is only fair to average; this would be worth buying more of at about $70 or less.
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Rule the Rhone; 10/27/2016-11/3/2016 (Northern & Southern Rhone): We have a visit set up for this location later in the trip and wanted to get a preview at dinner. Although we've had one or two of the wines in the past, we don't have much experience. This was great. Very bright and fruit forward without being overpowering. While fruit more dominant, shows some balance with more savory characteristics. Worked well with some veal had that night.
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape tasting at home. Medium ruby/garnet color. Aromatically a little closed at this young stage, but showing first notes of pure dark fruit, kirsch, white pepper, blackberries, crushed flowers and some garrigue too. It's full-bodied and dense, but extremely polished and elegant, with medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin that is incredibly silky. Fantastic length. While aromatically still a little reticent, what impressed me the most is the texture of pure silk. Fascinating to drink this next to Pégau Reservée. That one was more rustic, animalic; this is more elegant, with lots of finesse. Both have equally great quality. (95-96+)
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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 dark and red berry fruits and cherries as well as good garrigue. On the palate very juicy fruits, good acidity and beautiful, slightly sticky tannin. This wine is still too young, but definitely holding a promise and more potential than the 2011. Good complexity. Probably wise to wait until 2021 or later. 94+ for today.
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We love GSMs from southern Rhone, particularly from CDP. Having had the pleasure to stay in CDP and see this winery, we once again were excited to try this vintage and were not disappointed. This is mostly Grenache typical of Southern Rhones, but due to growing season and production it has more Mouvedre than past vintages (50% G, 30% M, 15% S). Decanted 2+ hours. Ruby red. Not overwhelming on the nose, but beautiful aromas of cherry, rose petals and pepper. On the palate it is delicate but amazing. Cherry licorice and spices with a finish of black pepper. Not as earthy as other Rhones. Smooth tannins. No alcohol burn at all. Such a well made wine. Amazing!
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no proper notes - Absolutely beautiful, nice powefull fruit of dark berries, very well balanced with the high %, quite smooth with ripe tannins, complex and concentrated with long finish. Outstanding quality, 93-94p with long potential for agening.
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Tellement crowd pleasure.Impossible de ne pas aimer ça et facile à reconnaître . Superbe pif et tellement charmeur.Une belle fraîcheur , droit et fluide. Du petit lait qui se boit tout seul.Très moderne. 18/20
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Dégustation horizontale Châteauneuf du Pape 2012 (Igloo Laurier): Un nez d'encens, avec un coté herbacé noble, du fruit. Bouche ronde, pleine et épicée, avec une texture très tendre, beaucoup de profondeur dans un style traditionnel, wow! Délicieux déjà, mais il possède un énorme potentiel pour la garde. Magnifique. Reconnu assez facilement. 95 pts
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I ended my month-long abstinence one day before Altweiber (First day of German Karneval) with a nice Clos Des Papes.
I tasted this one and a half year ago, just after release. It's funny to see how well things integrated since then. Cherry nose, fully mellowed tannins, flowery bouquet and medium + body. A lovely wine. However, as many collectors say, is 75 € for a Clos des Papes not a bit over the top? Or am I more a Janasse wine guy? Time will tell.
Helau!
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Merry Christmas to me! Beautiful berry nose, complex not overpowering to the palate. Served with coffee brine pork loin, brings a little espresso to palate. Raspberry balsalmic Brussels sweet potato casserole, cheese grits. Will look forward to next bottle.
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Medium ruby. Restrained nose of gark cherries, garrigue and floral scents. Fantastic on the palate though: full-bodied, perfectly round, soft and balanced with low acidity and a very long aftertaste. Lovely.
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#AthensRedfinewinetasting2015 Dark ruby. Vibrant nose with red and dark cherries, raspberries, oak and some earthy notes. A bit warm and sweet I would say. In the mouth you get a punch initially which somewhat softens afterwards and eventually becomes almost elegant; quite fresh and lively with medium to high acidity, medium tannins. More complex and open than the nose. Now I also detected some chocolate notes, peppery (especially towards the end), while the warmth that you felt in the nose here is more discreet and better assimilated than you would expect . Quite long finish 94-95
Drank over 8 hours. In the very beginning, the nose is pretty closed. Then, the aroma opens after 3 hours decanting. Raspberry, candied cherry, cedar, pepper, and red fruit are found in nose but still not very overt. On the palate, the complexity is further enriched with espresso, licorice, and proper amount of acidity providing vivid character and balancing sweetness. Also, refined sweet tannin makes the medium to full body wine more interesting. This is so elegant that I can't believe the alcohol percentage is 15%. The whole package reminds me 2012 Saxum's James Berry, which reaches 15.8%. Justin Smith really did a great job to find a new home for Rhone varieties. Justin's 2012 is more overt on nose and tighter on the palate, but Clos des papes is more refined and elegant. At this stage, Justin's wine probably needs even more time to let everything come together. Although the two wines have different logic of wine making and distinct characters, I do appreciate the same factors, purity and clarity. This kind of lighter body and balance Rhone's red is a great contrast to the over-extracted Rhone's red.
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2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): Per Paul Avril, vintage conditions required that the 2012 Clos des Papes contain a higher percentage of Mourvèdre than usual. This deep ruby blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah (with the balance being made up by other allowed varieties) accordingly shows more earth and graphite than most other iterations. Packed with ripe plum, blackberries, garrigue and Asian spices, it is a full-bodied, freshly acidic, moderately tannic wine which somehow avoids any heat from its 15.7% alcohol. With amazing mid-palate density and a very long finish, it is clearly classic in quality. Drink now-2030.
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Book Club (Patty's Place): Blind. Stumped losing interest this late. I wish Sean hadn't spent big coin on this wine. This will be an unpopular tasting note as this seems to be a favorite of many. Big, sweet, and one dimensional. There's a LOT of cherry here which is probably Grenache but I don't know the blend. Horrible QPR. You can get 2 or 3 great bottle of the price.
Served blind. I think by the time I got to this wine, which was last in the meal's lineup, my palate was about done. Tart cherry, lots of fruit....my notes kind of suck but I want to at least keep a record that the bottle was here and was in my glass.
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Very nice wine. Drinkable now with a 3 hour decant. Dark blackberry with hints of white pepper and cassis. Well integrated tannins. Very well balanced and structured. Much life left but nice now with long decant. Good value
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Medium to dark ruby. Cherry, red currant. High tannin, medium acidity. This one might need more time. The fruit is perfectly in balance with the high alcohol of 15.5%.
Tasted at the domaine. Vincent has a charming personality. Tasting with him is a very pleasant experience. He keeps 400 bottles unlabelled in the cellar for every vintage only for tasting. He also said, you have to make the wine that you like, not to please everybody. Sometimes, if not everybody likes you, it's positive. If nobody likes you, then there is a problem.
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Really good right now. Drank after 2hours of decant. Full opened. Full body with a lot of ripe berries and well integrated tannins. More sweet than expected but really really nice. Will retaste soon.
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Surprised with the lightness and the approachability here - had one not known better, the advice could be pop and pour. Thing are to come, surely, but the wine seems very open, fruit, direct with just the right amount of local character. Will stay away for 5+ years and see... (MasterClass Neuf 2012).
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We agree with everything Xenon said. Definitely a good wine, but not clearly worth my $120. I've had more impressive Vieux Donjons. Perhaps not worth drinking for another while? Even a decant and a 2nd day did little for it.
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2014 Tree Lighting Party (Morrell Wine, 1 Rockefeller Plaza): The nose was surprisingly open and even fruity with ripe wild berry, plum, mountain herbs, and a hint of new cedar. On the palate, it was fresh and focused with raspberry, blackberry fruit, and the slightest hint of citrus. It turned richer and deeper with time in the glass and finished with dark fruits, licorice and herbs. This is so enjoyable to drink now that it will be hard to keep your hands off.
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94-96 Sattes Schwarz-Rot Sehr intensive Fruchtnase,Wildkirschen ,Creme de Cassis Tannennadeln,Lakritze,auftauchender Bleistift. Voll,dicht,frisch aetherisch minzig,gute Tiefe,reich,seidig aber mit der Dauer doch klar spürbaren mittleren glatten Gerbstoffen,Säure gibt ein gutes Rückgrat,mundfüllend,Alkohol über 2 Tage manchmal nicht so gut integriert und insgesamt weniger fruchtig,aber kommt dann doch wieder in eine gute Balance. Frucht wieder expressiver-voller,leicht Aenis und kräuterig. Langer leicht alkoholischer rotfruchtiger Abgang. Jung ungestüm ,aber erstaunlich volle ausgeprägte Fruchtaromen und einiges an Tiefe vorhanden.
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Violets, red cherries, raspberry and spicy plum scents make up the perfume. On the palate, the wine is silky, lively and fresh, expressing sweetness in the fruit, round, voluptuous textures and purity of flavor.
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I tried this wine after it has been released to the market for quite some weeks now. Doing it the analytical way (on my own :-)): I wanted to know if this wine has it all for me to buy a case of 12 bottles and cellar it.
Opened it and tried without food: First thought: I find it too early to assess. I am not that kind of guy to taste a barrel sample and know how this wine will taste in 1, 5 and 20 years....
Tannin-wise very good to enjoy already right now. Well integrated, fine and not too obvious. If someone says this wine is too young, it's not because of tannins, it's because the fruit hasn't integrated yet: The wine is very fruity (as expected for a young CdP) but shows no sweetness. You can feel the 15% alcohol, it's quite a bit hot. Hopefully this will resolve.
It lacks a bit of body, finesse and elegance at this moment. It's medium bodied. After one hour the wine opened up in the decanter. The nose is typical Clos des Papes.
So the next step was to have it with food. I bought some stuff at the local market and prepared duck breast (Barbarieentenbrust) with honey, balsamic vinegar and red wine (of course the Clos des Papes :-)) and sesame seeds, supported by chanterelles with garlic, onions, butter and parsley.
Drinking the wine with the prepared dinner made it clear that the wine at this stage does by far not have enough body to accompany such heavy food.
After finishing the whole bottle (approx. 5 hours), I am quite undecided about my assessment: It's a nice wine, no question, and it's a pretty young wine. Probably too young to assess for my limited knowledge in that regard.
However, at this stage I am sure it's not worth 75-85 € a bottle. Especially considering the 65 € I paid for an 2009 which to me is ready to drink now and consists of all the characteristics I love in Clos des Papes.
So far it has not shown the 'wow!' factor, which makes me want to buy as much bottles as I can of a specific wine. And believe me, this usually hits me quite often! :-)
Lets conclude it this way: A nice wine, too young for me to assess, at this stage missing finesse and body and pricewise not able to compete on the wine market against other lovely CdP or wines from Italy.
Before buying 12 and putting them in my cellar I will definitely wait and taste again in a while. Not convinced.
Private Tasting with Vincent Avril at Clos des Pape (Chateauneuf de Pape): Very young and focussed with a bouquet of Cherries and spices like cardamon. A very fine tannin structure with a balanced acidity should give this wine a long drinking window. I would cellar it for at least 3-5 years and than enjoy it over the next 1-2 decades.
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3/14/2024 - Leonidas_012 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still with great fruit, full body, brick colored borders. Stunning.
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1/19/2024 - micsauer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still very primary and long life ahead - good!
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1/5/2024 - Radboy wrote: 95 Points
This was shining tonight! Had it with pasta puttanesca and it was fabulous. Earth and berry nose, cocoa and cherry fruit on the mid-palate. A 2 hour decant calmed down the big fruitiness that originally emerged upon opening. 4 hours in and the secondary characteristics emerged with beautiful balance and fine tannins in the finish. A dandy drink.
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9/14/2023 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 90 Points
2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Horizontal (San Diego, CA): Over ripe strawberries, over ripe black cherries,over ripe raspberries, smoked wood and rose petals on the nose. It smells a little extracted and concentrated, with a high intensity of aromas. The palate adds dark chocolate, allspice, tobacco, Kirschwasser and bitter herbs. This really tastes like chocolate covered cherries more than anything else. Medium + intensity of flavors. This wine feels well made and ticks all the boxes most want in a 11 year old CdP. If anything, it's a tad boring. Driven by fruit and oak, it's missing some of the non-fruit notes I really like in older CdP.
Medium + body with medium acid, medium - tannin and a medium finish. The 15% alcohol is pretty well hidden here. Maybe there's a slight burn when drinking it; but it's quite smooth given the ABV. Can drink now or age 2-5 more years in the bottle.
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8/29/2023 - mjohn Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initially a really strong gamey note on the nose, but this fell to the background with time as dark berries & floral elements came to the fore. Full bodied, medium acidity and still some medium tannic grip. Long & complex, with some spices in the finish.
I was worried about the alcohol level of this wine. I could smell the alcohol, but surprisingly I didn't feel any heat. However, I could feel the alcohol affect me over the night much more than half a bottle of wine typically does. I liked this overall but I'm not sure I'd want to have too many glasses of this on one night. I'll be curious to see how this compares to the 2014 which has only 14% ABV.
This cost about £60, which feels about right. I'd question the QPR at 139,90€ as Forceberry mentions below.
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4/9/2023 - fadincvaros Likes this wine: 94 Points
È in un momento perfetto. Concordo con le note precedenti, nessun bisogno di decantarlo, aperto un’oretta per fargli prendere temperatura dalla cantina di 14 gradi, il vino è già al top. Colore granato bellissimo, più limpido della classica grenache , naso tipico, odore di mediterraneo, frutta matura ma non marmellatosa, legno giusto, balsamicità, bevuto in diverse ore, non da segni di cedimento.
La bocca è veramente ben strutturata, l’alcol c’è (15%) ma è ben assorbito, da morbidezza e acidità ben presente, sorso veramente pieno è appagante con grande lunghezza e corrispondenza naso-bocca.
Buonissimo CdP, peccato avevo solo una bottiglia.
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4/2/2023 - MTwine66 wrote: 94 Points
Nose of cherries/baked pie. Good fruit on the palette with some pepper as well. Good window for drinking.
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3/25/2023 - twoheadedguy Likes this wine: 97 Points
Classic stuff, great dark cherry and rose water. Decanted but not sure it needed it, opened up right away. Wonderful finish…this has a few more years but can’t go wrong drinking now.
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3/24/2023 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
A blend of organically farmed Grenache (60%), Mourvèdre (20%) and Syrah (15%); the remaining 5% rounded out by a combination of Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin and Vaccarèse. The fruit gets fully destemmed before the spontaneous fermentation. Aged in old, neutral oak foudres up to 18 months, depending on the vintage. Bottled unfiltered. 15% alcohol (according to the label; 15,4% according to the analyses), 1 g/l residual sugar and 4,7 g/l acidity.
Deep, dark and moderately opaque garnet color. The nose feels brooding, somewhat evolved and a bit reticent with aromas of wizened dark berries, some tertiary meaty and gamey tones, a little bit of garrigue, light strawberry nuances, a fragrant hint of dried flowers, a touch of earthy spices and a sweet whiff of blackberry jam. The alcohol lends a rather hot element to the nose. The wine feels dense, chewy and quite juicy on the palate with a full body and concentrated flavors of blackberries and dark plummy fruit, some licorice tones, light evolved notes of dried figs, a little bit of tobacco and earth, a sweet hint of ripe blueberries and a candied touch of black Bassett's wine gums. The overall feel is somewhat hot and a bit fat, thanks to the medium acidity and soft medium-minus tannins that don't seem to bring enough structure and balance to the wine. The finish is long, savory and quite hot with a tiny bit of tannic grip and a bold aftertaste of ripe blackberries and juicy dark plums, some strawberry notes, a little bit of old leather, light earthy notes, a hint of savory spice and a touch of dried flowers.
A rather big and substantial vintage of Clos des Papes that is enjoyably savory and dark-toned in flavor profile, but perhaps a bit too soft and high in alcohol as a whole. Based on how relatively youthful the wine is still is for its age and how it seems to slowly open up and improve in the glass, I feel there is still some aging potential here and most likely the wine will continue to age and improve with further cellaring - at least for a handful of years more. However, with its somewhat soft and cumbersome disposition, I feel this wine isn't going to turn out particularly elegant with any amount of aging. This is a pretty good and thoroughly enjoyable effort for such a big and ripe wine, but I'd rather have it with less alcohol and more acidity. At 139,90€ the price doesn't really make sense.
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2/14/2023 - pdxwinefan wrote:
Coravin tasting. This wine is starting to happen! Medium ruby color, nice blackberry and subtle secondary aromas. A bit of molasses/brown sugar, leather, and tobacco tastes. Will keep holding these but I’m excited for what they’re beginning to turn into.
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2/14/2023 - jeffmudd Likes this wine: 98 Points
Opened for a Super Bowl party and was a big hit. Beautiful CDP and if it gets better I can’t wait as I have 2 more bottles.
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2/5/2023 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super CNdP.
Lovely fruit and texture.
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1/11/2023 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS: Clos des Papes (By AH): The bouquet is still somewhat locked but shows red and dark berries, cherries and garrigue. On the palate very juicy red and dark berries and a lot of herbs. Beautifully fresh acidity and good tannin. Very beautiful full bodied wine with good complexity.
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11/12/2022 - rm97 wrote: 94 Points
Delicious
No rush, but very enjoyable now
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11/11/2022 - FoinZap Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP. Color is deep dark red w orange/brown tint to the edge. Nose is red fruit, licorice, cedar, cinnamon, wet soil. Palate is strawberry, ground pepper, plum, a smoky wood note. Medium- to full-bodied, a bit of a spicy tannic aspect, long finish. Well balanced, classic CdP.
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11/11/2022 - J'agnes Likes this wine: 91 Points
Garnet showing some maturity. Lovely nose of spice, pepper and soft black fruit. Plush mouthfeel and pretty fruit with a nice soft tannin landing. Light footed and elegant in this vintage - more Rayas than might normally be expected?
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10/23/2022 - Wadham Cellar wrote: 88 Points
Ok but blowsy, a touch hot, not complex. Decanted an hour. Will PNP next bottle
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9/17/2022 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to my note last year. Also no decant last night. Wonderful right out of the bottle. Had more depth than a 2018 Beaucastel we drank before. Hanging out at its peak, no rush.
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8/19/2022 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, this is a stunner. PnP and drunk over one hour. So much going on in the nose and palate. Excellent mouthfeel and a long finish. No one had any idea this was 15.4%. So balanced and delicious. Family couldn't stop talking about it. Hating myself for only buying one.
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7/29/2022 - Slaz Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Fundamentally, little has changed since my last tasting in 2020—ripe and alcoholic, Grenache notes dominate. Not a fan.
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7/22/2022 - gigem91 wrote: 93 Points
Nice bottle of wine. Well balanced. The finish is a bit light
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4/30/2022 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 30 minutes and poured back into bottle. All it needs now. Poured 1/4 glasses. OldWorld nose. Lots of flavor layers. Wine is drinking beautifully now so crack one open. So great with lamb kabobs. Yummy.
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4/26/2022 - Stanrocks Likes this wine: 91 Points
Blind tasted
Very closed first, with dark fruits, some nice spice as well, palate was quite tannic still, needed much air to be in better shape :)
After One hour opening it starts to reveal more garrigue and strawberry flavors, deeper and more elegant and a much softer palate... still not the best form so far... needs IMO even more air
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2/5/2022 - RojoVino24 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Superb balance! Medium heft on the palate. Did have a short finish though. Loads of dark fruit on the nose. Cherry cola, leather, violets with earth. Was drinking well now but have a couple more bottles I’ll try out over the next few years. Quality CDP!!
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1/14/2022 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Finally after 10 years this is turning into something. Dark purple color. Decanted 90 minutes. Lots of forest floor, mushrooms & some savory notes. Was a bit sweet initially but that toned down over time but I still find it sweet. Medium/Full mouthfeel. Lots of flavor layers indicative of a well made wine. I have a few CdP in my cellar but don’t drink a lot of these. Not a cheap wine soQPRis average at best. Will probably keep my last three bottles for the long haul just to see what happens.
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1/7/2022 - rjm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely - very full bodied for a CdP
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12/29/2021 - btwine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Fantastic. So wonderful to drink a high end CDP, and to have as a reference. Well balanced and likely has more years in the tank based on still-firm tannins. Dark cherry, thyme, white peppercorn. Lush. Long finish that becomes thicker and sweeter. Wish I had more bottles.
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12/25/2021 - A_rytter wrote:
Dark almost purple. Powerfull, black fruits, dried roses or lavender, graphite. Full body, taste of dark berries, rounded tannins and acidity.
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12/9/2021 - gamlingman Likes this wine: 90 Points
Although not really my type of wine I was lucky enough to be gifted this magnum last evening where we enjoyed it with a few friends. Probably wasn't right wine for the steaks we had. Huge Nose of mellow fruits and spice, while an almost explosion of round deep tastes finishes this with a bang.
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12/5/2021 - Jerseyjudge Likes this wine: 94 Points
PNP and drank over next 3 hours. Air helped but pretty good from the start. I tend to judge Bdx more from the nose and Cndp from the mid-palate and that’s where Clos des Papes excels. Bright red fruit, hints of pepper and herbs in the mouth with outstanding tension and finesse through to the long finish. The palate really sets this wine apart. It will probably improve and become more expressive just like past vintages, but it’s also drinking well right now. Take your pick.
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11/25/2021 - pdxwinefan wrote:
I got impatient and opened one of these on Thanksgiving. Enjoyed by the crowd but in my mind still too young as it doesn’t pull together the way I’d expect. Holding the rest for another couple years.
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11/10/2021 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
One of the best 2012's, I've tasted, this combines the lush sexy style of the vintage with real structure and a manly vertical feel. Still young - but approachable.
#ChezAvril
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10/18/2021 - BBinSC wrote: 94 Points
Road Warriors Return
Wine 8
Surprised to see the last two bottles show up at the end of the evening, but they turned out to be perfectly placed. This CdP still has intense nose of earth, red fruit, and a little garrigue. The palate was polished with sweet red cherry notes. Finished long with spicy, herby flavors. Tasty!
QPR 6.5 (of 10)
Aging 2026 at least
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9/16/2021 - LB88 wrote: 91 Points
This was a lot better than the last time I opened a bottle. It had well resolved tannins and a mild sois bois. Just not layered and complex. But overall a good drink with a decent finish.
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7/3/2021 - Adam T 12 wrote: 95 Points
This is delicous. An improvement from my last try. No decant this thing was ready to go. So smooth. Has plenty of energy but for me this is at, or approaching, peak.
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4/3/2021 - spillwine wrote: 93 Points
C‘est bon, c‘est rond, on ne sent pas les 15 degrés d'alcool. Pas particulièrement expressif cependant. Est-il encore fermé ou va-t-il s’aplatir de plus en plus? Question à se reposer relativement bientôt.
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1/19/2021 - Klugi Wine wrote: 94 Points
Excellent Clos des Papes. Probably a little muted right now, needed some time to open up. After 1-2 hours a bouquet of red fruit, some lavender and orange zest evolve. With time a kaleidoscope of Mediterranean spring flowers come up. The palate has fine and sweet, but massive tannins. Only had one (Coravin) glass, but I would really recommend to decant this wine for at least 2 hours, better more. Should easily hold for 2 more decades.
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12/19/2020 - Crunge wrote: 92 Points
From a 3L. Cherries, raspberries and a good dose of barnyard. Nicely integrated fruit, earth, and alcohol. Consumed over three-four hours and opened a bit more over time. Will update with day two notes if there is any change.
Edit: Drank about half the 3L, put the cork back in and left at room temp. After ~20 hours, fruit has faded slightly revealing more earth, and for me that is a good thing. Delicious and solid CdP.
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11/22/2020 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Great, intriguing nose - mature red and black fruit, cassis, touch of sweet flower. Sweet prune plum, blackberry, and then anise on the finish. Not sure why I tasted the anise given the other notes, perhaps my palate is off after the bout with COVID-19 last month?
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11/7/2020 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I was sort of nervous to try this given so so reviews but it was great. Classic CDP. A touch more heat and pepper than Beaucastel, but not in a bad way. Crazy long finish. Give it 2 more years to see if the heat blows off, but this tasting was encouraging. Have 3 more, drink 2022+
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10/31/2020 - ChopperWine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good. Not great. I stand by my note from January, 2019. -- "I would be lying if I stated that this was a blockbuster of a vintage from Clos des Papes. It is not. Very earthy. Smooth in one-dimensional wrote someone below, and I would agree. I would also venture to guess that it is in its proper drinking window at this time. For those who know Clos des Papes, there really is not much point in mentioning the obvious characteristics other than to say it probably doesn't have a long life ahead, but certainly has a few more years with which one could lay it down."
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10/31/2020 - wineguy1968 Likes this wine:
Nice bright red cherry with long finish. Bit of heat on backend. Pallet generally feels very bright and fresh and energetic but not terribly complex at this point.
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7/4/2020 - cincybt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking beautifully, and even a smidge young. Developed nicely over the course of a couple hours. Don't be in a rush on this one if you're cellaring properly - and enjoy!
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5/26/2020 - Jammy Wine wrote: 85 Points
This 2012 Clos de Papes is lighter and less intense than the 2007 next to it, but the 2012 is slightly more floral and perfumed. 15.4% alcohol. Tasted blind – Jammy red plums, ripe blackberries, smells like the last wine (Avril Clos de Papes 2007). Slightly perfumed with ripe cassis, smokey tobacco and dark chocolate. Still very young and primary with grippy tannins. Italian? Sangiovese? Tuscan? 2010? I was very wrong with my guess again… (85/100)
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5/8/2020 - Lazlo Toth wrote: 93 Points
Opaque garnet with clear fading to the rim. Expressive bouquet of perfumed strawberry jam, cinnamon, and just a hint of brett, though not unpleasantly so. This is a more feminine style of Chateauneuf du Pape than some of the other 2012s I have tried. It seems more Grenache dominated with less Syrah than other CDP blends. Some Mourvedre plays a nice harmonizing role as this wine is fruitful, but matched well with silky tannins. Palate is polished with strawberry and raspberry and well integrated notes of cinnamon, cardamon and old leather. Medium plus intensity, medium complexity, medium plus alcohol, high acidity and a full body. Very long finish. This is a highly enjoyable wine that lacks some of the mid-palate complexity of the great CDPs, but it is impeccably made and pleasurable.
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3/25/2020 - Niagara wrote: 93 Points
i'm a little less enthusiastic about this than I was in 2014 when it was so new you could still smell the vineyard. it seems to have closed down a bit, not unusual for Clos des Papes in my experience. I tend to find them either delightful in very early youth or lovely and soft in older age. In the middle they are a bit less remarkable. Still fine wine on any given day, of course.
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3/10/2020 - Yappetizer wrote: 95 Points
Revisiting this wine after 5 months, having this shortly after a heavily seasoned Chinese meal. On the nose it is still showing elegant bouquet of flowers, lavender, dried spices, dried parsley, nutmeg. On the palate there's anise, lotus seed, medium bodied, firm and delicious tannins with a slight licorice and hint of bittersweet finish. Medium to long finish. Always my favorite!
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2/29/2020 - 100pp wrote: 92 Points
In a closed phase? Not as generous as previous bottles
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2/16/2020 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
If you don't mind ripeness, it's tasty.
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1/19/2020 - Slaz Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Some improvement relative to my last tasting in 9/2017, but fundamentally this is a highly ripe and alcoholic style of CDP, with minimal complexity. Tasted over 4 hours of decanting. Terrible value, with money better spent on Beaucastel and/or other varietals and makers.
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1/17/2020 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Unusually expressive and fruit forward, this Clos des Papes has bright berry fruit but still has its old world bones of tobacco, coffee and forest floor on the finish. Despite the contrast, this wine is nicely balanced and drinking very well right now.
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7/28/2019 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Have to agree with others that this is not the Avril family’s best. A lot of earth tones that obscure what could have been a great wine just buried underneath. Hints of roast beef, raspberry, and leather that tell you this is made by a great producer, but it just fell a little short this time. That said, this is still enjoyable. It is not a bad wine, but could have been a lot more.
Score : 90-91. Relative to expectations: -
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5/2/2019 - jrh82 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Finally, a good CdP. Been let down by several vintages but 2012 brought the goods. Very elegant. Rose petals on the nose. Smooth tannins. Burgundian almost.
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4/22/2019 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very dark color with berry nose. Medium/heavy mouth feel with lots of extraction. I decanted this for 3 hours. My feeling is the wine is too young and will open up more with time. A little one dimensional at this point but a big Wine which I like. Will try another bottle in 4-6 months.
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4/20/2019 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
Clos des Papes Vertical: A few conclusions: 1) The wines showed consistently on a good to very good level. 2) The wines have great ageing potential - the 1975 was still singing. 3) If you like almost port wine like ripeness (and high alcohol) you find great wines in the 2000s, for my palate this is just too much (the 2007 vintage with 100 points from the Parker team got a pretty low score from me). 4) More recent vintages show less ripeness, more balance and elegance (although less so in really hot years like in 2015). 5) The 2016 is exceptionally good. Definitely a must buy. Probably the most promising CDP I've had so far. 6) Clos des Papes offers good value for money.
TN: I've had this wine a few times after its release and it developed well since then. This is an opulent wine with layers of dark red fruit, some underbrush, coffee, cacao, some first nice signs of age with some barnyard, truffle scents. With all its opulent fruit is still a fresh and balanced wine thanks to a high and well-integrated acidity. Alcohol level and ripeness, which are a problem in the 2007 and 2015 vintage, are much better kept in check here. A good wine which doesn't need any decanting to shine.
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3/3/2019 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 92 Points
A fine wine, but nothing memorable. I was a little disappointed, not as much here as other vintages of Clos des Papes.
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1/21/2019 - ChopperWine Likes this wine: 90 Points
I would be lying if I stated that this was a blockbuster of a vintage from Clos des Papes. It is not. Very earthy. Smooth in one-dimensional wrote someone below, and I would agree. I would also venture to guess that it is in its proper drinking window at this time. For those who know Clos des Papes, there really is not much point in mentioning the obvious characteristics other than to say it probably doesn't have a long life ahead, but certainly has a few more years with which one could lay it down.
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12/28/2018 - micsauer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Extremely primary still, way too young but great potential. Wonderful spicy nose with red and blue berries. Only medium aftertaste (yet), also the high alcohol came out here and then. Better in 5-10 years. 92++
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12/2/2018 - Dalton_Noble Likes this wine: 89 Points
It was totally fine. I’d pay 24 dollars for it. Decanted 3 hours and drank over next 2. Grenache-centric, tannins muted, decent fruit still. I’d say no further upside from cellaring, nice and smooth, one dimensional, on par with good cotes du Rhône. I have one more bottle and will hang on to for another 1-2 years just in case.
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11/30/2018 - JohnnyBark Does not like this wine:
Completely not impressed. Made for critics scores. Rudimentary fruit, soft tannins, no profile that would make me think southern Rhône. I’ve always loved CDP CDP, but more from the ‘04’ish years. This is sweet red, boring wine. Regretting the next 5 bottles. Drink now.
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9/8/2018 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Simply delicious! Love this wine and it is drinking great now. Not as deep as some vintages but perfect for near term drinking.
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9/7/2018 - dvansteenderen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Small tasting glass @ VINEUM during service, so a brief note. My second to last bottle of two cases of twelve. This remains a blockbuster, coming around more- and more. Still a lot of extraction though, I can imagine some people disliking that in this wine.
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8/21/2018 - henryd1 Does not like this wine: 89 Points
This was a big let down. Served with friends who expect me to bring decent wine and no one paid this any attention at all. It may just be closed but no other tasters seemed to have come to that conclusion. In any case, as it stands, it's really quite non-descript. Quite full bodied, dark colour for a CNDP, generally quite mute... My recommendation would be HOLD, but without any great hope it'll ever turn into a decent wine. I seriously hope my 2015 is a step up as this is at present much worse than my 2012 bois du boursan at less than 1/3 the price. 89+
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11/24/2017 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely wine with good depth and clean soft finish. A wine to drink while waiting on your 2009's and 2010's.
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9/16/2017 - Slaz wrote: 91 Points
Overly ripe and fruit-forward to my taste. Grenache is dominant, with notes of strawberries and red fruit, in this CDP. Well-made and in many ways elegant, especially after several hours of decanting, but this is admittedly poor value at nearly $100. Beaucastel CDPs offer so much more, in my opinion and tasting experience.
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6/14/2017 - beatles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clos des Papes tasting in CPH with Avril (BarVin Copenhagen): This have certainly gained weight since last tasted; it has the juiciness and direct approach of the vintage (Mr. Avril confirmed as much); rich, lush, in your face, quite loveable... will improve, still. 92+
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5/12/2017 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely wine with clean fruit profile and nice soft finish. Really great.
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1/10/2017 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Très moderne si on compare au 2007, 2009, 2010, impact millésime? nous est apparu plus bombe de fruit.
Nez qui embaume, un peu bonbon, vanille et gros fruit noir, ça sent l'extraction.
En bouche, joufflu et assez imposant, beaucoup de fruit et assez unidimensionnel...il lui manque le petit côté Garrigue et herbe et aussi les épices.
Long avec un peu de chauffe.
Bien fait, un vin facile mais pas notre style!
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12/16/2016 - RichardP wrote: 93 Points
Strawberries, citrus, and eucalyptus on the nose. On the palate, strawberry, cherry candy, rose petals, and black and blue fruit, with notes of anise, iodine, and white pepper on the medium finish, with moderate tannins and good acidity. It's a little young, but it's not infanticide to open it now. This is an excellent Chateauneuf, but given that this costs $90+ the value for money is only fair to average; this would be worth buying more of at about $70 or less.
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10/31/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Rule the Rhone; 10/27/2016-11/3/2016 (Northern & Southern Rhone): We have a visit set up for this location later in the trip and wanted to get a preview at dinner. Although we've had one or two of the wines in the past, we don't have much experience. This was great. Very bright and fruit forward without being overpowering. While fruit more dominant, shows some balance with more savory characteristics. Worked well with some veal had that night.
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7/31/2016 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Châteauneuf-du-Pape tasting at home. Medium ruby/garnet color. Aromatically a little closed at this young stage, but showing first notes of pure dark fruit, kirsch, white pepper, blackberries, crushed flowers and some garrigue too. It's full-bodied and dense, but extremely polished and elegant, with medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin that is incredibly silky. Fantastic length. While aromatically still a little reticent, what impressed me the most is the texture of pure silk. Fascinating to drink this next to Pégau Reservée. That one was more rustic, animalic; this is more elegant, with lots of finesse. Both have equally great quality. (95-96+)
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4/23/2016 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional dinner group; A vertical of 15 vintages Clos des Papes and some great extra's. (@ B in SvG): In the bouquet dark and red berry fruits and cherries as well as good garrigue. On the palate very juicy fruits, good acidity and beautiful, slightly sticky tannin. This wine is still too young, but definitely holding a promise and more potential than the 2011. Good complexity. Probably wise to wait until 2021 or later. 94+ for today.
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3/27/2016 - fritza wrote: 95 Points
We love GSMs from southern Rhone, particularly from CDP. Having had the pleasure to stay in CDP and see this winery, we once again were excited to try this vintage and were not disappointed. This is mostly Grenache typical of Southern Rhones, but due to growing season and production it has more Mouvedre than past vintages (50% G, 30% M, 15% S).
Decanted 2+ hours.
Ruby red. Not overwhelming on the nose, but beautiful aromas of cherry, rose petals and pepper. On the palate it is delicate but amazing. Cherry licorice and spices with a finish of black pepper. Not as earthy as other Rhones. Smooth tannins. No alcohol burn at all. Such a well made wine.
Amazing!
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3/20/2016 - Ebrim Likes this wine: 93 Points
no proper notes - Absolutely beautiful, nice powefull fruit of dark berries, very well balanced with the high %, quite smooth with ripe tannins, complex and concentrated with long finish. Outstanding quality, 93-94p with long potential for agening.
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3/10/2016 - Villon wrote: 92 Points
92+
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3/4/2016 - ludwigbpm wrote: 92 Points
Sans notes
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2/26/2016 - phil the agony wrote: 94 Points
Tellement crowd pleasure.Impossible de ne pas aimer ça et facile à reconnaître .
Superbe pif et tellement charmeur.Une belle fraîcheur , droit et fluide.
Du petit lait qui se boit tout seul.Très moderne.
18/20
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2/25/2016 - d'Artagnan wrote: 95 Points
Dégustation horizontale Châteauneuf du Pape 2012 (Igloo Laurier): Un nez d'encens, avec un coté herbacé noble, du fruit.
Bouche ronde, pleine et épicée, avec une texture très tendre, beaucoup de profondeur dans un style traditionnel, wow! Délicieux déjà, mais il possède un énorme potentiel pour la garde. Magnifique. Reconnu assez facilement. 95 pts
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2/3/2016 - _Xenon Likes this wine: 93 Points
I ended my month-long abstinence one day before Altweiber (First day of German Karneval) with a nice Clos Des Papes.
I tasted this one and a half year ago, just after release. It's funny to see how well things integrated since then. Cherry nose, fully mellowed tannins, flowery bouquet and medium + body. A lovely wine. However, as many collectors say, is 75 € for a Clos des Papes not a bit over the top? Or am I more a Janasse wine guy? Time will tell.
Helau!
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12/25/2015 - ralstenm Likes this wine: 94 Points
Merry Christmas to me! Beautiful berry nose, complex not overpowering to the palate. Served with coffee brine pork loin, brings a little espresso to palate. Raspberry balsalmic Brussels sweet potato casserole, cheese grits. Will look forward to next bottle.
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12/13/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 96 Points
Medium ruby. Restrained nose of gark cherries, garrigue and floral scents. Fantastic on the palate though: full-bodied, perfectly round, soft and balanced with low acidity and a very long aftertaste. Lovely.
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12/13/2015 - Yorgos Likes this wine: 95 Points
#AthensRedfinewinetasting2015
Dark ruby. Vibrant nose with red and dark cherries, raspberries, oak and some earthy notes. A bit warm and sweet I would say. In the mouth you get a punch initially which somewhat softens afterwards and eventually becomes almost elegant; quite fresh and lively with medium to high acidity, medium tannins. More complex and open than the nose. Now I also detected some chocolate notes, peppery (especially towards the end), while the warmth that you felt in the nose here is more discreet and better assimilated than you would expect . Quite long finish 94-95
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12/5/2015 - RyanWu wrote: 91 Points
Drank over 8 hours. In the very beginning, the nose is pretty closed. Then, the aroma opens after 3 hours decanting. Raspberry, candied cherry, cedar, pepper, and red fruit are found in nose but still not very overt. On the palate, the complexity is further enriched with espresso, licorice, and proper amount of acidity providing vivid character and balancing sweetness. Also, refined sweet tannin makes the medium to full body wine more interesting. This is so elegant that I can't believe the alcohol percentage is 15%. The whole package reminds me 2012 Saxum's James Berry, which reaches 15.8%. Justin Smith really did a great job to find a new home for Rhone varieties. Justin's 2012 is more overt on nose and tighter on the palate, but Clos des papes is more refined and elegant. At this stage, Justin's wine probably needs even more time to let everything come together. Although the two wines have different logic of wine making and distinct characters, I do appreciate the same factors, purity and clarity. This kind of lighter body and balance Rhone's red is a great contrast to the over-extracted Rhone's red.
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10/23/2015 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 97 Points
2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): Per Paul Avril, vintage conditions required that the 2012 Clos des Papes contain a higher percentage of Mourvèdre than usual. This deep ruby blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah (with the balance being made up by other allowed varieties) accordingly shows more earth and graphite than most other iterations. Packed with ripe plum, blackberries, garrigue and Asian spices, it is a full-bodied, freshly acidic, moderately tannic wine which somehow avoids any heat from its 15.7% alcohol. With amazing mid-palate density and a very long finish, it is clearly classic in quality. Drink now-2030.
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10/23/2015 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Bright kirsch. Quite open, almost creamy, and never heavy. Avoids over ripeness
50 Grenache 30 Mourvèdre 15 Syrah 5 other
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8/29/2015 - brigcampbell wrote:
Book Club (Patty's Place): Blind. Stumped losing interest this late. I wish Sean hadn't spent big coin on this wine. This will be an unpopular tasting note as this seems to be a favorite of many. Big, sweet, and one dimensional. There's a LOT of cherry here which is probably Grenache but I don't know the blend. Horrible QPR. You can get 2 or 3 great bottle of the price.
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8/28/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Served blind. I think by the time I got to this wine, which was last in the meal's lineup, my palate was about done. Tart cherry, lots of fruit....my notes kind of suck but I want to at least keep a record that the bottle was here and was in my glass.
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7/19/2015 - Bill Johnson Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very nice wine. Drinkable now with a 3 hour decant. Dark blackberry with hints of white pepper and cassis. Well integrated tannins. Very well balanced and structured. Much life left but nice now with long decant. Good value
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7/14/2015 - VeronicaXu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium to dark ruby. Cherry, red currant. High tannin, medium acidity. This one might need more time. The fruit is perfectly in balance with the high alcohol of 15.5%.
Tasted at the domaine. Vincent has a charming personality. Tasting with him is a very pleasant experience. He keeps 400 bottles unlabelled in the cellar for every vintage only for tasting. He also said, you have to make the wine that you like, not to please everybody. Sometimes, if not everybody likes you, it's positive. If nobody likes you, then there is a problem.
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5/24/2015 - Gilles Ledesma wrote: 96 Points
Really good right now. Drank after 2hours of decant. Full opened. Full body with a lot of ripe berries and well integrated tannins. More sweet than expected but really really nice. Will retaste soon.
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2/28/2015 - beatles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprised with the lightness and the approachability here - had one not known better, the advice could be pop and pour. Thing are to come, surely, but the wine seems very open, fruit, direct with just the right amount of local character. Will stay away for 5+ years and see... (MasterClass Neuf 2012).
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2/5/2015 - dpolivy wrote: 93 Points
Tasting in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; 2/5/2015-2/7/2015 (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France): Ripe, full throttled, with dark red fruit and some floral notes. Dense, dark and juicy on the palate. Earth and white pepper, too. Finishes with fine, chewy tannins and good acidity. This is a big, intense wine!
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2/5/2015 - Eric wrote:
A mid-winter visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape; 2/5/2015-2/7/2015 (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France): Exceptionally ripe and powerful. Roasted plums. White pepper. Very juicy and intense. A tannic finish. A beastly good wine with tons of potential.
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1/27/2015 - P&F wrote: 90 Points
We agree with everything Xenon said. Definitely a good wine, but not clearly worth my $120. I've had more impressive Vieux Donjons. Perhaps not worth drinking for another while? Even a decant and a 2nd day did little for it.
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12/9/2014 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 92 Points
2014 Tree Lighting Party (Morrell Wine, 1 Rockefeller Plaza): The nose was surprisingly open and even fruity with ripe wild berry, plum, mountain herbs, and a hint of new cedar. On the palate, it was fresh and focused with raspberry, blackberry fruit, and the slightest hint of citrus. It turned richer and deeper with time in the glass and finished with dark fruits, licorice and herbs. This is so enjoyable to drink now that it will be hard to keep your hands off.
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10/3/2014 - winelegends.net Likes this wine: 94 Points
94-96
Sattes Schwarz-Rot
Sehr intensive Fruchtnase,Wildkirschen ,Creme de Cassis Tannennadeln,Lakritze,auftauchender Bleistift.
Voll,dicht,frisch aetherisch minzig,gute Tiefe,reich,seidig aber mit der Dauer doch klar spürbaren mittleren glatten Gerbstoffen,Säure gibt ein gutes Rückgrat,mundfüllend,Alkohol über 2 Tage manchmal nicht so gut integriert und insgesamt weniger fruchtig,aber kommt dann doch wieder in eine gute Balance.
Frucht wieder expressiver-voller,leicht Aenis und kräuterig.
Langer leicht alkoholischer rotfruchtiger Abgang.
Jung ungestüm ,aber erstaunlich volle ausgeprägte Fruchtaromen und einiges an Tiefe vorhanden.
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8/7/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Violets, red cherries, raspberry and spicy plum scents make up the perfume. On the palate, the wine is silky, lively and fresh, expressing sweetness in the fruit, round, voluptuous textures and purity of flavor.
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7/24/2014 - _Xenon wrote: 91 Points
I tried this wine after it has been released to the market for quite some weeks now. Doing it the analytical way (on my own :-)): I wanted to know if this wine has it all for me to buy a case of 12 bottles and cellar it.
Opened it and tried without food: First thought: I find it too early to assess. I am not that kind of guy to taste a barrel sample and know how this wine will taste in 1, 5 and 20 years....
Tannin-wise very good to enjoy already right now. Well integrated, fine and not too obvious. If someone says this wine is too young, it's not because of tannins, it's because the fruit hasn't integrated yet: The wine is very fruity (as expected for a young CdP) but shows no sweetness. You can feel the 15% alcohol, it's quite a bit hot. Hopefully this will resolve.
It lacks a bit of body, finesse and elegance at this moment. It's medium bodied. After one hour the wine opened up in the decanter. The nose is typical Clos des Papes.
So the next step was to have it with food. I bought some stuff at the local market and prepared duck breast (Barbarieentenbrust) with honey, balsamic vinegar and red wine (of course the Clos des Papes :-)) and sesame seeds, supported by chanterelles with garlic, onions, butter and parsley.
Drinking the wine with the prepared dinner made it clear that the wine at this stage does by far not have enough body to accompany such heavy food.
After finishing the whole bottle (approx. 5 hours), I am quite undecided about my assessment: It's a nice wine, no question, and it's a pretty young wine. Probably too young to assess for my limited knowledge in that regard.
However, at this stage I am sure it's not worth 75-85 € a bottle. Especially considering the 65 € I paid for an 2009 which to me is ready to drink now and consists of all the characteristics I love in Clos des Papes.
So far it has not shown the 'wow!' factor, which makes me want to buy as much bottles as I can of a specific wine. And believe me, this usually hits me quite often! :-)
Lets conclude it this way: A nice wine, too young for me to assess, at this stage missing finesse and body and pricewise not able to compete on the wine market against other lovely CdP or wines from Italy.
Before buying 12 and putting them in my cellar I will definitely wait and taste again in a while. Not convinced.
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6/30/2014 - Klugi Wine wrote: 95 Points
Private Tasting with Vincent Avril at Clos des Pape (Chateauneuf de Pape): Very young and focussed with a bouquet of Cherries and spices like cardamon. A very fine tannin structure with a balanced acidity should give this wine a long drinking window.
I would cellar it for at least 3-5 years and than enjoy it over the next 1-2 decades.
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