On Saturday January 29 I attended Le Du’s Wine Store’s now annual Alain Junguenet Selection Châteauneuf du Pape Tasting in Manhattan, this one for the 2008 vintage. The majority of the wines poured are currently still in barrel; a number of producers attended in person. As you’d expect, a fair number of people decided to show up for the samples and conversation.
The 2008 vintage appears to represent a distinct turn-around from the recent heatwaves, especially that of the hyped-up (and juiced up) 2007s. Rain through the late winter resulted in a late floraison; rain through the spring saw mildew add to the growers’ problems. July and August ran closer to form, and then a heavy rain storm in September might well have destroyed the harvest if not for the strong Mistral on its heels. Growers had to exercise “severe sorting” to minimize under-ripe fruit, with the result that production was down by 35% and special cuvees were generally put aside for the year. The better producers were able to manage these conditions to make good wine, according to Mr. Junguenet, who was present at the tasting, in a more forward and fresh style reminiscent of 2004 and 1999 rather than recent highly-ripe years like 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
This is welcome news. Not only have recent vintages in the Southern Rhône been getting frighteningly out of whack (the alcohol can only run so high before it affects the wine’s traditional flavor profile), but the 1999 vintage has performed splendidly throughout. I don’t think I’ve had either a bad or a closed bottle and they’re continuing to taste just delightful. If 08 turns out to be a similar vintage, I certainly won’t be complaining. (All cdp rouge tasting notes that follow are 08s. Other vintages are listed accordingly.)
There were almost 50 different wines in all at this tasting, and I wouldn’t profess to have the skills or the stamina to go through that many and claim to notice every subtle difference. And of course, the fact that they’re all being tasted from barrel, rather than bottle, must be taken into account. I did make a bee-line for Le Vieux Donjon, which I’ve come to love and respect for its strength and staying power. Claire Michel, daughter of wine-maker Lucien, was on hand to pour the wines; she emphasized that the 2008 vintage was much like the 2004. To my question about their dark muscularity, and the fact that they go through a more perceptible and longer “closed” stage than many other producers (the 1998s are somewhat shut down, even now), Claire credited, in large part, their refusal to destem any grapes except the Mourvèdre (which makes up only 10% of the wine, anyway). Presumably, the terroir is also important, as is the decision to elevate the wine in concrete vats and old foudres. Anyway, the Le Vieux Donjon 2008 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Tradition proved typically masculine, and somewhat ungiving at this stage, yet one could tell that there was plenty going on under the surface to reward patience. Claire also poured the Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf du Pape 2008 Blanc, a blend of 50% Roussanne and 50% Clairette. It’s an impressive wine, which combines a notable freshness with sizeable heft, one that you suspect will itself prove to have considerable staying power. It’s a limited production and sells for the same price as their red wine, around $66.
I’m typically taken by the wines of Pierre Usseglio and this year is no exception; the Cuvée Tradition 2008 was probably as forward and as soft as anything on show, with lots of juicy black fruit mingling with the herbal elements that are a distinctive calling card to many of these wines. I also found Chateau Fortia’s Cuvee Tradition 2008 to be highly approachable, and at $38 affordable, too. Fortia's Pierre Pastre was also pouring a Cuvée du Baron, which ups the Syrah to 40%, and was less giving on this tasting; and a 2008 Reserve Speciale. 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache, this is down somewhat from the 85% Syrah content of the ‘06, which I had likened at the time to an Aussie fruit bomb. Be it balance of grapes or vintage or both, I got more of the Rhône roasted meat flavors from this glass than that of a couple of years back. I’m not sure I’ll ever pick up a bottle, but I’d be curious to revisit this some time soon.
I had another lovely conversation with Caroline Maret from Domaine de la Charbonniere. Their 2008 Vacqueryas (60% Grenache, 40% Syrah) was highly impressive for the appellation, but pricey at $30. The Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge had a lovely inviting color; the taste profile was right down the middle, which makes sense for a winery that considers itself a blend of tradition and modernity, blending oak and vat ageing. The Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix hails from a half-plateau in Courthézon, red clay and sandy marl.. It was a notably more complex wine. Charbonniere produces two other Châteauneuf du Papes though I was unclear if they were taking a break from them in 08 or just hadn’t brought them along for the tasting. They were, however, pouring a deliciously fresh Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc 2009, 40% Roussanne, 40% Grenache blanc and 20% Clairette. A lovely wine, though hard for me to justify the $47 price tag.
A newcomer to the American scene is Domaine Albin Jacumin; 2008 is his third vintage, and first on export. I found the Bégude des Papes extremely forward and enjoyable; I did not get to see a price tag attached. Domaine Olivier Hillaire is only a little older, having emerged from the ashes of his father’s former property, Domaine des Relagnes; the Hillaire Cuvée Classique, with a hefty 90% Grenache, seemed to be performing well right out of the glass; the Les Petits Pieds d’Armand, from 108 year old Grenache vines in La Crau, offered up distinctly herbal aromas and suggested a wine of great promise lurking within.
Similarly, Domaine Moulin-Tacussel’s Hommage a Henry Tacussel is pure Grenache from 104 year old vines, aged in barrel. The nose was closed but the body was quite giving; this too will surely develop considerably over the years. Robert and Annette Moulin were cheerfully on hand to pour their own wines, despite possessing limited English. I found their Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition to be quite easy going, and at $47 fairly priced too; they were also pouring a Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc 2009 which, oddly, retails for a few dollars more. A blend of 40% Roussanne, 30% Grenache, and with four other white grapes making up the balance, this one had less acidity than some of the other whites on hand, correspondingly more body, and was very well rounded; a gorgeous wine.
I find the Mas de Boislauzon wines to be classic old style Châteauneuf du Pape; the Cuvee Tradition was deep purple in color, with lots of tannin, plenty undergrowth (if you know what I mean), and considerable structure. And always fairly priced, this year at $43. They also produce a Côtes du Rhône Villages 2008 from a vineyard on the northern border of Châteauneuf du Pape; this was soft and sexy and at $16, a steal.
Mireille Porte has been making Châteauneuf du Pape at Domaine Tour Saint Michelle only since 2005 but she’s certainly got the hang of it; her Cuvée des Deux Soeurs (“aged in cement tank and neutral barrels”) showed off the mineral nature of the region’s wines, a note I often find more pronounced in neighboring Gigondas. It was also one of the few Châteauneuf du Papes priced under $40. The La Tour du Lion 2008 was a similar blend of GSM with a touch of Cinsault, 10% aged in oak; for such a minor difference in profile and taste, I’m not entirely sure the separate Cuvée is justified.
I got mineral notes from Domaine Pontifical’s Cuvée Tradition, and I got those pronounced Provencal herbs as well. A solid wine. The Bosquet des Papes Cuvée Tradition was opaque in color and yet brawny in style; I’d suggest it’s a keeper. Cuvee du Vatican’s Cuvée Tradition tasted very pure, with a clearly defined mineral edge to it. Like many other wineries, they obviously hadn’t received Alain’s memo about scrapping the Special Cuvée this year, as they’ve produced the Reserve Sixtine again, which has an almost even blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvdere, with 80% of it aged in barrel. Poured direct from a newly opened bottle, the nose on this was distinctly closed; I had to get a second pour half an hour later, and walk around with it a while until it offered up its distinct mix of dark fruits and earth and leather. Modernist it may be, but a great wine all the same.
The Clos des Brusquieres Cuvée Tradition stood out to me as having a very different style than most of the other wines, emitting a distinctly menthol/eucalyptus aroma and taste. (I wasn’t the only one to notice as much.) I certainly can’t call this a fault, but it stood at odds with the other wines, and left me a little confused.
Finally, on the Châteauneuf du Pape front, the intensely serious Pascal Lafond was on hand to pour his full range of wines, which include his highly regarded Châteauneuf du Pape Roc-Epine, 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah. This one was pretty closed to be honest, though if past quality is anything to go by, I’m sure it will turn out great. More giving was his Lirac rouge, the 2008 of which is 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and retails for a modest $21. Pascal was also pouring a Lirac Rouge La Ferme Romaine from 2007, 50% aged in oak, which didn’t taste notably better. Lafond’s Lirac Blanc benefits from 20% Viognier (a grape not allowed in Châteauneuf du Pape) and was lively, floral, fresh and fruity.
Lafond is based in Tavel, and his 2008 Rosé from that village (not that it produces any other kind) is widely considered one of its very best. I’m familiar enough with the wine that I wasn’t initially going to taste it, but after sampling a Cairanne Rosé 2008 from Domaine Boisson, I couldn’t help myself. One of those two wines was a somewhat softly colored, pale looking wine with gentle fruit; the other was almost luminescent pink, tingling with raspberry and strawberry and minerality and flowers. I’ll leave you to decide which was which.
Don’t get me wrong: I love Domaine Boisson, not least because wine-maker Bruno Boisson is indicative of a new breed of Rhône wine-maker, youthful, outgoing, enthusiastic and with impeccable English that he uses to offer every taster a detailed breakdown of every wine from its precise grape make-up to, in the case of his Domaine Boisson Cairanne Blanc 2008, the time of day the grapes are picked. (In the morning, to maximize freshness, in case you were wondering.) The difference between Boisson’s standard Cairanne Blanc and his Cairanne ‘L’Exigence’ Blanc is the lack of Viognier and the 40% malo fermentation in barrel in the latter. (Both wines are heavy on those old warhorses, Clairette and Grenache Blanc.) Southern Rhône whites outside of Châteauneuf du Pape are not on everyone’s wish list, which is one way of justifying L’Exigence’s modernist approach: beautifully rounded, a lovely combination of fruit and finesse with just the right hint of vanilla, it’s a fine wine and well worth its $22 price tag. Boisson performs much the same trick with his Cairanne reds; the regular Cairanne Rouge 2008 has some Carignan in alongside the GSM and has much more of a rustic edge than I’m used to from what I typically consider one of the “prettier” tasting Côtes du Rhône Villages. For the Cairanne L’Exigence Rouge 2008, the 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre content are aged in barrel. They hail, by the way, from “south-facing limestone and clay,” while “The Grenache is raised in cement to prevent oxidation.” Hey, Boisson talks so much it seems a shame not to quote him directly. This, too, is a fine modern style wine.
Boisson also makes a wine from Massif d’Uchaux, one of the recently promoted Côtes du Rhône Villages. The vines here date back to 1961 and you can tell; the Clos de la Brussere 2008, 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 10% Carignan, is much darker than Boisson’s other wines and yet impressively elegant. I bought a couple of these from the 06 vintage and drank them quicker than I intended. I may find myself similarly engaged in the 08s. Finally, Boisson pours from his relative Alain Boisson’s Cairanne estate, Cros De Romet. In 2008, Alain’s blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah failed to make malo and so has been relegated to a Vin de Table. While this makes for a nice talking point, I didn’t like the wine; there was a harsh medicinal nature to it.
That should have been it. But as a bonus, the husband and wife team from Clos de Gamot in Cahors were on hand to pour a vertical of their pure Malbec Clos St. Jean wines. The vintages on hand ran from 1998 through to 2005 – minus 2003 and 2004, for which hungry grape-loving wild pigs are apparently to blame, so we learned from Mr. Jouffreau’s cheerful pidgin English. Of the wines, fermented in large foudres and demi-muids, with no new wood, the ‘05 was a saturated purple color, very plummy, wih surprisingly soft tannins; the ‘02 was peppery, from what we were told was a good vintage in Cahors. Reaching my limits, I then asked to be poured what they considered their best wine otherwise and was offered the 01, which was noticeably more complex, quite Bordeaux like in character, with a perfect blend of fruit and oak, soft and inviting and drinking just perfectly. If you have $57 on hand, you’ll surely love it, too.
And that was it. I really appreciated the generous pours, and the fact that the wine-makers were so convivial. I’m sure that everyone left happy. And I, for one, will likely be back to buy some of these.