PnP... This started out very tough and a bit out of balance with hard tannin and deep overpowering dark red/blue fruits. After a couple of hours in the glass it did start to even out. Day two (under glass) the balance was much better. Wait another 2-3 on other bottles.
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Popped in poured, consumed over a several hour period. The 2016 Clape Côtes du Rhône pours a deep purple color with a nearly opaque core with medium+ viscosity with significant staining of tears. There are slight signs of sediment. No signs of gas. On the nose, the wine is initially pretty funky. It has that nearly poopy diaper sort of thing going, but it’s so typical in reductive Syrah. This blows off within minutes and reveals a tremendous amount of dark bramble fruit, black plum, blueberry, deli case, olive brine, lavender, dried herbs, and baking spices. There is a bit of the animal that’s sticking around too. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and includes quite a bit of black pepper. A lovely wine and it’s almost unfair to have it labeled as CdR. This is drinking so well right now but could very well impress through 2030+…but why wait?
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First bottle from a half case purchased from the Dutch importer in 2018. Pristine condition, perfect level and cork. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. For a modest Côtes du Rhône, this is a wine of exceptional complexity and interest. There are so many aspects to its character. Sometimes it is almost feminine, with its gentle fruit of soft red berries and rose petal fragrance, then it shows a much more masculine, minerally, muscular side with a darker pitch (black pepper, black currant, black olive, black tea), and finally there is a wild, almost feral, red-meat quality which I associate with the ruggedness of the terrain and the unadorned style of the producer. Structurally this is still a youthful wine, fresh and bursting with minerally energy, with finely grained but firm tannins, taut and compact but with just enough flesh on its slender frame. Length is very good, with palpable minerals and notes of peach and apple. It is certainly not a come-hither wine, but I wouldn't call it aloof either - there is a certain reserved charm that needs to overcome a youthful shyness. Just on its plateau of maturity, drink now and over the next 5-8 years.
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red & dark fruits, med acid, med tannin, slight barnyard. slight savoury meaty note. slight charred oak. good length. Much sediment in the bottle. 89-90.
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Very good bottle and killer value; the nose here is classic syrah with dark brambly fruits, smoked meat, pepper, and violet. The palate here has a fair amount of structure, but good concentration and acidity. Great with food. Still with upside
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Black cherry, some plum, roasted meat, bacon, black pepper in complex combination that comes across as complex and layered, easily mistakable for Côte-Rotie to me. Excellent now, with upside, I’d think even better in another five years.
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Pnp. Åpen og flott. Mørk og kjøttfull nese med frukt av bjørnebær, solbær, sorte kirsebær, krydder i retning muskatnøtt, samt noe busk. Ren, «high pitched» og nyansert. Pen fatbruk. Vakkert! Ganske massiv i munn. Svær med høy fylde og heftig struktur. Tørrende fatpregede tanniner fra midtpartiet og utover i finish. Frukten er nok noe tilkneppet nå. Kan ha godt av noen år for å mykne opp litt.
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Deep cool rustic elegant dark fruit, peppered meat, dark roasted coffee. Lots of power and concentration for a CdR. Well-structured wine made of grippy tannins, density and freshness. 91+ points.
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A very solid showing for this wine, first I've had from this vintage; nose is definitely baby Cornas; grilled meat, black currant, iron and violet. The palate shows big dark fruits and game notes, much less structure than the Clape Cornas and is very drinkable now. Should drink well for the next 5-8 years easily.
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By the glass. Initially very closed, almost dead? Vulgar, with unnatural aromas of acid red berries and cassis liqueur. It does not seduce me at least. Lovely label after all.
Por copas. Inicialmente muy cerrado, ¿casi muerto? Vulgar, con aromas poco naturales a bayas rojas ácidas y a licor de cassis. No me seduce lo más mínimo. Al menos una etiqueta de las de antes.
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Black currant and berries with anise and black pepper. Very impressive concentration and length. The structure is slightly backward for now, but there is so much great stuff here. A very impressive Côtes du Rhône.
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Solid. Savage style of Syrah. Meaty, with blood and pepper notes. Palate is dense with coarse tannin and bright acidity. Dark fruit profile. Good length. Very young, needs some time. Wish it was a bit cheaper.
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Rich warm nose of black plum, some chocolate, and faint tobacco. Leads with sweet fruit. Nice round weight on the palate. Solid and more depth than I expect from CdR
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During a merchant tasting. Very dark purple, darkest of dark fruit here with licorice, rhum pot, spices. Very fruity and dense on the palate, whiff of smoke. Impressive front to back for a village level. Stellar fruit and aromas.
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Dark, purple color. Aromas of blueberry jam on the nose, flowers and tobacco, primary. Almost entirely on its fruit now, some mineral notes and just a hint of something wild and rugged. The fruit is airy, floats with ease. Much too young, of course, but not tight as a fist like the 2015. One to hide a away for some years.
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Decanted for an hour. The nose is deep... Ripe blueberry, mineral, lavender, fried duck skin and white pepper. Dense and almost opaque in colour, the concentration and layers are omnipresent, then the percolating acidity cruises throughout. The finish is medium-long; and I must say, despite how engaging this is, at the moment I almost feel as if I am barrel tasting: this is still a baby, and beckons a couple more years in bottle. As primal as she is, the ‘16 is still the best bottling yet. Drink 2020 - 2032.
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3/27/2024 - ovenmitt wrote: 90 Points
PnP... This started out very tough and a bit out of balance with hard tannin and deep overpowering dark red/blue fruits. After a couple of hours in the glass it did start to even out. Day two (under glass) the balance was much better. Wait another 2-3 on other bottles.
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12/15/2023 - TXRhoneRanger wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous Syrah. Excellent QPR. Just have to have patience. Drank this bottle over 6 hours. Quite nice.
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6/22/2023 - thesternowl wrote: 93 Points
Popped in poured, consumed over a several hour period. The 2016 Clape Côtes du Rhône pours a deep purple color with a nearly opaque core with medium+ viscosity with significant staining of tears. There are slight signs of sediment. No signs of gas. On the nose, the wine is initially pretty funky. It has that nearly poopy diaper sort of thing going, but it’s so typical in reductive Syrah. This blows off within minutes and reveals a tremendous amount of dark bramble fruit, black plum, blueberry, deli case, olive brine, lavender, dried herbs, and baking spices. There is a bit of the animal that’s sticking around too. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and includes quite a bit of black pepper. A lovely wine and it’s almost unfair to have it labeled as CdR. This is drinking so well right now but could very well impress through 2030+…but why wait?
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6/12/2023 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Excellent; still largely unchanged; primary and a baby cornas; blackberry, floral, and stony. Delicous.
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2/18/2023 - jhw425 wrote: 90 Points
This is more structured now. Less rocks over fruit and more acidity and tannins.
Better with some air.
Might try waiting this out?
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1/22/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
First bottle from a half case purchased from the Dutch importer in 2018. Pristine condition, perfect level and cork. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. For a modest Côtes du Rhône, this is a wine of exceptional complexity and interest. There are so many aspects to its character. Sometimes it is almost feminine, with its gentle fruit of soft red berries and rose petal fragrance, then it shows a much more masculine, minerally, muscular side with a darker pitch (black pepper, black currant, black olive, black tea), and finally there is a wild, almost feral, red-meat quality which I associate with the ruggedness of the terrain and the unadorned style of the producer. Structurally this is still a youthful wine, fresh and bursting with minerally energy, with finely grained but firm tannins, taut and compact but with just enough flesh on its slender frame. Length is very good, with palpable minerals and notes of peach and apple. It is certainly not a come-hither wine, but I wouldn't call it aloof either - there is a certain reserved charm that needs to overcome a youthful shyness. Just on its plateau of maturity, drink now and over the next 5-8 years.
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8/10/2022 - fanglangzhe Likes this wine: 89 Points
red & dark fruits, med acid, med tannin, slight barnyard. slight savoury meaty note. slight charred oak. good length. Much sediment in the bottle. 89-90.
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4/24/2021 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Very good bottle and killer value; the nose here is classic syrah with dark brambly fruits, smoked meat, pepper, and violet. The palate here has a fair amount of structure, but good concentration and acidity. Great with food. Still with upside
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1/30/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Black cherry, some plum, roasted meat, bacon, black pepper in complex combination that comes across as complex and layered, easily mistakable for Côte-Rotie to me. Excellent now, with upside, I’d think even better in another five years.
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7/1/2020 - jnewman77 wrote:
Very good. Young and tight. Took a while to open up. Probably better in 3-5 years
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6/29/2020 - WEB,III Likes this wine: 91 Points
With Alabama whitetail venison stew. The most polished Clape I have ever tasted. Delicious and excellent pairing.
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5/9/2020 - danstrings Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sleek inky dark racy syrah - loads of earthy fruit and black olive...
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4/19/2020 - jhw425 wrote: 93 Points
So good for what it is and why this one of my favorite Case purchased. Rocks over fruit, this one has more structure than the 2015
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3/19/2020 - Wineloon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark berry fruit, violets and pencil lead with a wall of soft tannins. Lots of structure but definitely drinkable. Legs but ready now.
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11/1/2019 - vinkeger wrote: 92 Points
Pnp. Åpen og flott. Mørk og kjøttfull nese med frukt av bjørnebær, solbær, sorte kirsebær, krydder i retning muskatnøtt, samt noe busk. Ren, «high pitched» og nyansert. Pen fatbruk. Vakkert! Ganske massiv i munn. Svær med høy fylde og heftig struktur. Tørrende fatpregede tanniner fra midtpartiet og utover i finish. Frukten er nok noe tilkneppet nå. Kan ha godt av noen år for å mykne opp litt.
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9/20/2019 - Bobhelge wrote: 91 Points
Deep cool rustic elegant dark fruit, peppered meat, dark roasted coffee. Lots of power and concentration for a CdR. Well-structured wine made of grippy tannins, density and freshness.
91+ points.
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7/10/2019 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
A very solid showing for this wine, first I've had from this vintage; nose is definitely baby Cornas; grilled meat, black currant, iron and violet. The palate shows big dark fruits and game notes, much less structure than the Clape Cornas and is very drinkable now. Should drink well for the next 5-8 years easily.
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6/27/2019 - Harley1199 wrote:
By the glass. Initially very closed, almost dead? Vulgar, with unnatural aromas of acid red berries and cassis liqueur. It does not seduce me at least. Lovely label after all.
Por copas. Inicialmente muy cerrado, ¿casi muerto? Vulgar, con aromas poco naturales a bayas rojas ácidas y a licor de cassis. No me seduce lo más mínimo. Al menos una etiqueta de las de antes.
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12/29/2018 - soyhead wrote:
nose- anise, cassis.
mouth - grapeskin, blackberry, mineral. powerful dark fruit
quite delicious
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10/20/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Black currant and berries with anise and black pepper. Very impressive concentration and length. The structure is slightly backward for now, but there is so much great stuff here. A very impressive Côtes du Rhône.
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9/18/2018 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Solid. Savage style of Syrah. Meaty, with blood and pepper notes. Palate is dense with coarse tannin and bright acidity. Dark fruit profile. Good length. Very young, needs some time. Wish it was a bit cheaper.
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5/20/2018 - soyhead wrote:
Picked up on Arlequin whim
Nose - ripe
Mouth - purely lush. Here in the fact the fruit oodles. Just needs to calm down a bit. Calmate
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3/24/2018 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich warm nose of black plum, some chocolate, and faint tobacco. Leads with sweet fruit. Nice round weight on the palate. Solid and more depth than I expect from CdR
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3/24/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
During a merchant tasting. Very dark purple, darkest of dark fruit here with licorice, rhum pot, spices. Very fruity and dense on the palate, whiff of smoke. Impressive front to back for a village level. Stellar fruit and aromas.
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3/2/2018 - pbaek wrote:
Dark, purple color. Aromas of blueberry jam on the nose, flowers and tobacco, primary. Almost entirely on its fruit now, some mineral notes and just a hint of something wild and rugged. The fruit is airy, floats with ease. Much too young, of course, but not tight as a fist like the 2015. One to hide a away for some years.
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1/18/2018 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour. The nose is deep... Ripe blueberry, mineral, lavender, fried duck skin and white pepper. Dense and almost opaque in colour, the concentration and layers are omnipresent, then the percolating acidity cruises throughout. The finish is medium-long; and I must say, despite how engaging this is, at the moment I almost feel as if I am barrel tasting: this is still a baby, and beckons a couple more years in bottle. As primal as she is, the ‘16 is still the best bottling yet. Drink 2020 - 2032.
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1/15/2018 - alanr wrote: 88 Points
Reasonably nice deep red fruit, fairly structured, nice acidity, a nice everyday table wine.
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