Critics reviews
Jeb Dunnuck - 28/08/2014
About this WINE
Clos Saint Jean
The brothers Pacsal and Vincent Maurel, with a little help from the larger-than-life and near-ubiquitous consultant Philippe Cambie, continue to work wonders with this famous old Châteauneuf du Pape Domaine Clos St. Jean.
The wine property is similar in size to Beaucastel and also has some spectacular parcels of old vines, its centurion-holders mainly situated on the Crau plateau. The winemaking here is traditional, yet the wines themselves seem to marry tradition and modernity with effortless aplomb.
Southern Rhône Blend
The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.
The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.
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Description
Brothers Vinecent and Pascal Maural own nearly 50 hectares in the appellation, most of which is located in the southern sector. Lauded of late by Robert Parker, inter alia, the brothers modestly maintain that the vines do all the work. Indeed, the Grenache is still aged in tank, with only the Syrah and Mourvède afforded an elevage in oak. These latter two make up nearly 30% of the blend, with small quantities of Cinsault, Muscardin and Vaccarèse also evidence.
The 2011 is a classic Chateauneuf, with a dense colour and welcoming warming aromatics, Autumnal and redolent of long post-prandial walks in misty woodland. The palate adds savoury notes, with licorice, tapenade and Provencal herbs feeding the imagination.
Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer
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