André Brunel, co-owner and winemaker of LES CAILLOUX (Chateauneuf-du-Pape), died yesterday.
He was a quiet and very nice guy who had immense passion for the wines of the region.
He brought his domaine Les Cailloux (not to be confused with Clos du Caillou) into the top group in CdP … the regular cuvée was always a bank for reliable and satisfying CdP and developed well over 20 to 25 years … the 1990 is still drinking nicely.
His “Cuvée Centenaire” from old vines could be exceptional … and the 1990 is still a legend. Also the Cotes-du-Rhone “Cuvée Sommelongue” was a bargain and delivered great pleasure.
I am glad that I got to now him. He will be missed!
I will open a C.Centenaire to his memory this weekend.
Andre Brunel, who resembles the movie actor William Hurt, must be in his early fifties, but he looks ten years younger. He has always been one of the more serious producers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and I am thrilled to write that the quality at Les Cailloux has risen higher and higher. From his fifty two acre estate, Andre Brunel produces powerful yet rich, elegant, concentrated wines that have gone from strength to strength since the late eighties. His vineyards are morsellated, but a large segment is planted near Mont Redon, on the famed galets roules. Brunel, who took over from his father in the early seventies, comes from a family that has lived in Chateauneuf du Pape since the eighteenth century. Brunel has never been content to rest on his on his accomplishments, always challenging the old ways while examining and questioning new wine making methods.
In 1989 Brunel launched a limited production wine, “Cuvee Centenaire”, made from a 5.6 acre parcel of vines planted in 1889. The Cuvee Centenaire is one of the world’s most compelling red wines. It is produced primarily from a plot of ancient (planted in 1889) Grenache vines (80% of the blend), and the rest younger vine Syrah (8%) and Mourvedre (12%), all aged 18 months in oak casks. It is tempting to say this is a modern styled Chateauneuf du Pape. The use of barriques puts it in that category, but there is no noticeable new oak. This wine sucks up the oak like a sponge, but the wood provides structure and delineation. The Centenaire has only been made in 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012 . My personal favorites are the 1998 and 1990, but the 1989 still has not hit full maturity. Moreover, the 2000 and 2001 are both prodigious efforts. Life’s too short not to experience at least one bottle of Andre Brunel’s Cuvee Centenaire! Andre Brunel produces five hundred cases of “Cuvee Centenaire” for the world. R. Parker
The message came from Laurence Féraud today … she worked closely with him and they created the Brunel-Féraud line of negociant wines together.
I failed to find his birth year, but he now must have been around 70 if not older …
I know most of the Cuvée Centenaire, but unfortunately never had the 1989 …
I have a 1990 Cotes-du-Rhone “Cuvée Sommelongue” in the cellar. Thinking it’s way over the hill, I had no idea when I was going to open it. This weekend seems like a great time, alongside my last 2001 Les Cailloux CdP.
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