This is the 7th harvest for my vineyard in Roussillon. I am pleased and wanted to see how my wines would compare to some of the best Mediterranean wines from similar varietals. My team and I organized a tasting of wines from Roussillon, Chateauneuf and Priorat with ourselves and independent tasters. The wines were strongly Grenache based, with Carignan and then Syrah the next most prominent varietals as these are what I have in my vineyard. The wines were tasted in no particular order except that in general we went from younger to older.
We tasted 16 wines that I will write up along with 2 from my own vineyard and 2 from a producer I represent, so no notes on those (they are identified at the end). The overall quality was excellent and I am pleased to report that my own wines acquitted themselves well in a strong lineup.
It was a long busy evening, my notes are relatively brief and my scores imprecise. This was a tasting for a general overview, not to precisely rate the wines against each other.
Here are the wines with my brief notes and scores in order of tasting:
2011 Domaine Pertuisane ‘Le Main Violet’ Grenache, VdP Cotes Catalanes – Good pungent aromas mix red and black fruits. The wine is a little heavy on the palate and disjointed in the middle but the finish is finally harmonious. The fruit flavors include red plum and tomato, and are pleasant with good intensity. The texture and some noticeable warmth keep it from excellence. Rated about 89.0.
2011 Shatter – This has a nose with excellent fruit but noticeable alcohol. The palate is surprisingly lively, the fruit is a mix of red and black, mostly cherries, laced with an agreeable green herbal element. There are touches of minerality and some earth underneath. The balance is again a pleasant surprise as is the length and harmony of the finish, with the alcohol muted and integrated. Rated about 91.1.
2011 D66 – The nose is even more alcoholic, with pronounced black fruit and a strong hint of tobacco. The fruit is present on the palate along with some extraneous leafy flavors. The texture is heavy and muddy, the flavors subdued by weight and alcohol, the finish is clumsy. The fruit is somewhat redeeming, but this is overall not a very good wine. Rated about 82.
2009 Somni ‘Clos de Portal’ Priorat – Unusually lively aromas combine black fruit and minerals with a strong earthy component and a range of spices (coriander, ginger +). The palate is vigorous, earthy, balanced, with the aromatic components faithfully transmitted to the palate. Black rasperries and cherries dominate the panoply of fruits. This is a youthful 4 year old, exuberantly enjoyable today but probably with a long, possibly distinguished future ahead. An excellent revelation. Rated about 93.3, could improve 2 or more points.
2011 La Preceptorie ‘Coume Marie’ – This has strong Grenache aromas incorporating both the black fruit and minerality with something Rhone-like with red plums, bacon and tomato. It is unusually spicy, herbal and even peppery on the palate but not to the detriment of intense, fresh lively fruits. Very ripe black and red plums are refreshed by some good acidity. The finish is long, the balance fine. Rated about 94.3.
2009 Clos des Fees – Surprisingly similar aromas but leaning even more towards a Rhone style. This is very savory; the aromas are still primary but the palate shows some secondary signs with very ripe red plums and raspberries, some earthiness and a lot of breadth and roundness. The finish is harmonious but surprisingly not as long as the previous. It lacks a little intensity, but compensates with balance. Rated about 93.8.
2010 Domaine Gardies ‘La Torre’ – This is less Grenache, with some black pepper and steeliness probably indicating dollops of Syrah and/or Mourvedre. I sense there might also be some oak involved. It is balanced and firm, but the fruit seems a little subdued in comparison to the previous two wines. The finish is also a little short in comparison. Rated about 90.8.
2010 Domaine Janasse ‘Garrigue’ Cotes du Rhone – The aromas offer a cornucopia of red fruits with some lovely notes of sage and bacon. The palate is remarkably balanced, with lots of weight for a Cotes du Rhone but wonderful refreshing acidity. The vivacity is extraordinary and the finish very long. It lacks the power of the greatest wines, but nothing else and is amazingly good right now. It followed me to dinner. Rated about 93.3.
2010 Mas Cal Demoura ‘Feu Sacre’ – The aromas are lively and balanced, with red cherries. The palate is fresh, with abundant tannins that need time to resolve. There is still good balance with a nice core of fruit in harmony with notes of earth and minerals. The finish is surprisingly a little short. This is the first wine of the tasting that seems to really need time. Rated about 90.0, could improve 2 – 3 points over 2 – 4 years.
2008 Domaine Janasse ‘Vieilles Vignes’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape – A Grenache that Roars, with savory aromas of fully ripe red fruit allied with sage and profound earthiness. The palate is medium to full bodied with excellent intensity; black plums are burstingly ripe, tannins are resolved, both fruit and wine show outstanding maturity. The finish is long and subtle. This is a testament to great terroir and winemaking in a weak vintage. Rated about 95, ready to drink.
2010 Domaine Mordoree ‘Reine des Bois’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape – The aromas feature both red plums and black cherries, with some earthiness. The palate reprises the aromas. This is surprsingly no richer than the previous and lacks its subtlety and harmony. The finish is a little short but this is still excellent wine. Rated about 91.7, 2 or more points of improvement likely over the next 10 years.
2010 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape – The aromas feature red cherries and raspberries with a real core of minerality. The palate flavors reprise the aromas also incorporating hints of cumin, thyme and olive. This is medium to full bodied with outstanding balance. This shows as a rounder, yet more focused wine than the previous, also readier to drink although likely to be at least as long-lived. The minerality as opposed to earthiness is noteworthy; classic Chateauneuf but this makes it distinctive. Rated about 93.5, should improve 3+ points over a decade.
2010 Domaine Janasse ‘Chauvin’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape – The aromas are lush with red fruits, notably plums and raspberries. The palate is rich, dense, almost a little sweet. The wine is very harmonious, but the richness comes at the cost of some balance. The richness brings noticeable tannins and with time this should be a very great wine. It is totally enjoyable today for the sheer power of primary fruit, but I would not open one for at least five years. Rated about 94.5 today, with 3 – 4 points of improvement likely over the next 10+ years.
2007 Coca I Fito Montsant – The aromas are extremely young for a 6 year old wine and full of bright red fruits, but there are also intrusive aromas of oak, probably American. The wine offers good fruit on the palate but also shows a lot of oak. The texture is the best part of this, muscular and sinewy. The finish is long, the balance is good. Rated 88.9 today, this should improve, maybe a lot if the oak integrates (but I’m not betting on it).
2006 Onix Priorat Seleccio – Although only a year older than the previous, this shows more like 5 years older. The aromas are fully secondary, starting into tertiary. There is plenty of fruit but also abundant earth and oak. The palate is firm with acidity, but with the tannins fully resolved. The fruit is blue plum and blueberry with a surprising but welcome hint of granny smith apple. The wine is a little heavy but not clumsy due to invigorating acidity. The finish is reasonably long. Rated about 91.0, fully mature but should hold at this peak for at least a few more years.
1999 Clos Erasmus – This was my WOTN and I found it young, but a few people thought it was showing age. Fresh aromas of black raspberries and blueberries with a hint of integrated oak and plenty of minerality lead to a dense palate featuring the same fruits and a surprising but welcome tarry note (hello Barolo?!?). This is simultaneously lean and mouth-coating. The balance is excellent and the finish is very long. Rated about 96.1, it was the best wine tonight although a few of the others will eventually surpass it. Fully mature, I would not be afraid to hold this 3 or more years.
Also tasted:
2012 Domaine Cabirau ‘Serge & Nicolas’ Maury Sec (pre-bottling)
2011 Domaine Cabirau ‘Serge & Nicolas’ Maury Sec
2010 Domaine du Pegau ‘Cuvee Reservee’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape
2009 Domaine du Pegau ‘Cuvee Laurence’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape
This was a fine evening in wonderful company. The tasting was mostly held at the Coop in Roussillon I belong to and where my wine is made; for the last three wines we moved across the street to the excellent Silex restaurant in Tautavel where we enjoyed a grand Catalan dinner.
Dan Kravitz
