2014 Domaine Auguste Clape Côtes du Rhône

Community Tasting Notes (35) Avg Score: 89.8 points

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  4/1/2023 - kuumies wrote:

  The nose is all animale and sauvage. It’s bloody, it’s stony, and with a lot of horse sweat and a some capsicum. There is also savory blackberry fruit but really it is not about fruit at all. On the palate it is medium-bodied with good structure. 2014 is not a ripe vintage and this wine represents that well. It has plenty of heft but a ripe wine it is not. The grip is quite wonderful. This is a very honest wine that does not try too hard to win its drinker over.

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  3/31/2023 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  100% Syrah that is sourced from two vineyards - one in Saint-Péray (including portions planted in 1895) and one younger vineyard planted just outside the Cornas appellation, at the foot of the slopes of Cornas. In some vintages some declassified Cornas from younger vineyards or press wine from the Cornas wines might be blended in. Vinified in whole bunches, fermented spontaneously in concrete tanks. After the MLF some of the wine is racked into oak foudres. 12% alcohol.
  
  Luminous, slightly evolved garnet-to-cherry-red color that permits some light through. The nose feels somewhat funky and a bit closed with aromas of smoky reduction and animale nuances of brett, ripe blackberries and red plums, some earthy tones, a little bit of juicy bilberry, light floral notes of violets, a hint of game and a sweeter touch of soft dark plum. The wine is dry, savory and quite airy on the palate with a medium body and slightly restrained flavors of meaty umami and phenolic spice, some funky leather notes, a little bit of blood and game, light brambly notes of blackberries, a sweeter hint of blueberry and a touch of bacon or other salt-cured meat. The wine is medium-to-moderately high in acidity with gentle, suave tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is dry, savory and quite gently grippy with a long aftertaste of earth and chokeberry bitterness, some ferrous notes of blood, a little bit of leathery funk, light blueberry tones, a brambly hint of blackberry and a touch of animale.
  
  A nice, harmonious and enjoyably funky take on Northern Rhône Syrah. You can taste the vintage isn't particularly ripe, but also that the fruit isn't packing as much stuffing as one could expect from a Syrah - both the tannins and the acidity are relatively modest and even the fruit department is a bit reticent as well. At first the wine was even more restrained - most likely due to reduction - but the wine opened up nicely with some air. However, even with air the wine didn't turn particularly expressive. While a nice, classically styled Syrah in its own right - served with a healthy side dose of funk - our wine was slightly eclipsed by the 2016 Clape Vin des Amis that was tasted at the same time. While I enjoy the funky notes and savory fruit flavors here, that 2016 Vin des Amis packed more depth, intensity and structure in comparison. I'd love to re-visit this wine from some other vintage, as I feel 2014 was a white wine vintage in Northern Rhône, meaning that it didn't produce as memorable red wines compared to the more harmonious whites. Yet still, at approx. 25-30€ this wine still was worth the price.

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  8/16/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points

  Final bottle from a half case purchased from the Dutch importer in 2015. Pristine, perfect level and cork, sandy sediment, 12% ABV. Slightly different from the previous bottle, a little more grippy and earthy, but there is such a lovely interplay with the soft red berry fruit and the white flowers and roses. Admittedly it lacks a bit of power and weight (2014 was a challenging year), but it is fresh and not hollow, and the mild tannins are perfectly judged. Length is very good, with a lovely touch of sweet peach. A very commendable effort, with a clearly recognisable "style du maison". Fully mature, time to drink up.

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  6/19/2022 - pbaek wrote:

  My one and only bottle. This is on farmyard notes, dirty, stinky nose. Notes of burnt soil, leather, certainly local. Tannins are present, not fully resolved. Bacon, smoked meat, tea notes as well. Incredible quality, and a very impressive wine. Wait another year or two for the tannins to fully integrate.

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  4/6/2022 - SixHedgehogs Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Red/black. Touch of farmyard aroma, blackcurrant, tar and smoke. Lovely flavour of blackberry, eucalyptus, apples and liquorice. Complex and delicious.

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