2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, La Combe des Fous, Clos Saint Jean, Rhône

2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, La Combe des Fous, Clos Saint Jean, Rhône

Product: 20108026752
 
2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, La Combe des Fous, Clos Saint Jean, Rhône

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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Description

The name is more Shakespearian this time ( or should that be Molière?) and is taken from a single ancient vineyard, again on the Crau plateau to the east of the appellation, and the wine is made up of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Vaccarese and 10% Cinsault; aged in both tank and barrique. An extraordinary embarrassment of flavours, concentrated but not over-worked, this is one of the wines of the vintage.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012

The brothers Pacsal and Vicent Maurel, with a little help from the larger-than-life and near-ubiquitous consultant Philippe Cambie, continue to work wonders with this famous old Domaine, which gets its first BBR listing this year. The 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.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate99/100
Also up with the top wines of the vintage, the 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Combe des Fous shows the darker fruit and minerality of the vintage with its creme de cassis, blackberry, ground pepper, licorice and ample crushed rock-like minerality. Gaining more than one expletive in the notes, this full-bodied 2010 has thrilling purity of fruit, massive underlying structure and a rich, layered and decadent feel on the finish. As with most 2010s, it needs another 3 to 4 years of bottle age and will easily have two decades of overall longevity.
Jeb Dunnuck - 28/08/2014 Read more

About this WINE

Clos Saint Jean

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.

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The most celebrated village of the Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the birthplace of the now indispensable French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system – imperfect though it may be. Compared to the Northern Rhône, the vineyards here are relatively flat and often feature the iconic galet pebbles – the precise benefits of which are a source of much debate. Minimum alcohol levels required by the AOC are the highest in France, but at 12.5% it is well below the natural generosity of Grenache, which only achieves its full aromatic potential when it is fully ripe and laden with the resultant high sugars. Syrah and Mourvèdre contribute the other defining elements in the blend, adding pepper, savoury spice and structure to the decadent Grenache. There are a further 10 permitted red grape varieties which can be used to adjust the “seasoning”. Of the five white varieties permitted, it is Grenache Noir’s sibling – predictably perhaps – Grenache Blanc, which dominates, though Roussanne shows a great deal of promise when handled well, notably at Château de Beaucastel.

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Southern Rhône Blend

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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