Like a farmyard shovel turned into an electric guitar.
On open, the nose is an assault of tar, roses, blood of earth, and over-ripe berry. The mouth is a classic balance and fruit and soil. Some tobacco. The tannins are in a great place of smoothness, but the wine also won’t suffer you ignoring it!
Followed several hours. Chills out, but never goes to sleep.
This is old world and old soul and it is wonderful.
Huge ups to the Chambers Street guys for this one.
A great and still somewhat under-the-radar producer. The wines can be very long lived too.
2016 is my favorite southern Rhone vintage over the past 20 years.
Really glad to see this note, I’ve always seen this at Chambers, but never took a swing at it, so now I will. Plus like Dan, I think the 2016 vintage in Southern Rhone is outstanding.
Ironically, this is my second at bat with this producer. The first was their rose which I didn’t like.
Will be interesting to see how younger bottles show.
I guess I should retry some of these. I bought a range of the Clos du Joncuas – 05 Gigondas, 10 Vacqueyras and the 12 Segueret – and found them all a bit rustic for my tastes. The tannins of the 05 Gigondas were still fairly hard when I opened bottles in 17, 18 and 19. That may have been the vintage in part, but the other two wines were also somewhat more tannic than I’d expect eight to ten years out from the vintage – a bit more more than I’d like in grenache-based wines at that age – and I didn’t find a great deal of complexity.
I’m a big fan of Clos du Joncuas. I buy it by the armful when I’m there from the Caveaus at Gigondas and Vacqueyras, and then buy it here from Chambers st. They are rustic and they can need 8-10 years to show at their best–though a couple of hours in a decanter with new vintages does help. Both the Vacqueyras, which is a good buy at Chambers, are worth the peck. The most recent vintage I see there now is the 2020–which is somewhat gentler than the 2000, and the 2019, which is starting to come around.
Jonathan - Since our palates often seem to align, I guess I should give them another chance. Thanks.
But it’s natural. Can’t be any good.
Just teasing. I love the Gigondas ever since Garagiste slipped one in a case a few years back.
05 was a tough vintage, but most have come around, though still with a stiff spine of tannin. Still, generally aligned palates can go their different ways over details, and that may be the case here. I don’t find it monolithic. But I can’t deny that it’s not a soft wine.
Cool note Gavin. Sounds right up my alley and yet I somehow didn’t see this winery when building my itinerary (will be in Gigondas for two days week after next). Will keep an eye out for it in the shops and restaurants!
The winery does not really welcome visitors. As I said above, you can get the Gigondas at the Caveau in Gigondas and the Vacqueyras at the Caveau in Vacqueyras.
This wine is available in 19, 20 and 21 vintages domestically. Which would you guess is better, especially for someone with more of a balanced preference in this wines versus big ripeness?
I’m hesitant to recommend vintages of a wine I have not tried, but in general for Southern Rhone:
2021 - Relatively light and easygoing vintage. If you like balance, this may ring your bell.
2020 - Big, ripe, brawny and tannic. Will be a long ager.
2019 - Also big and ripe, but more open and generous. Most probably have 1/2% more alcohol than 2020s.
In general 2019 is probably the closest in style to 2016 of the three vintages.
Many thanks, Dan.
I’ve only had the ‘18 and it was just a beauty on the nose with blackberry, cherry, iron/blood, garrigue and violets. Very bright and fresh with chalky tannins.
Just noticed Chambers Street has the 2022 for just $26.99 and pretty reasonable ground shipping charges. I know it would benefit from aging but probably a good vintage?
They also have 2020 and 2019, so you could even sample a few vintages.
The 2022, like the 2020 is a ripe, open year. You can drink it now with a decant. It will age. If you want a wine more in the manner of 04, 08 or 11, I’d buy the 2021. I don’t think the alcohol in any of these will vary by more than half a percent, but the ripeness will on the palate.
I opened the 2015 Clos du Joncuas [Gigondas] and enjoyed it over the last two nights. Like OP’s bottle, this was also from CSW. Although the label states 15% abv, this is one of the ‘fresher’ brighter Gigondas I can recall having in recent years, as the AOC / region has gotten ‘bigger’ due to more degree days, and perhaps consulting oenologues. This an organic estate which hand harvests, then relies on whole bunches and wild yeasts, with minimal wood involvement. At age ten I find the tannin soft enough, so perhaps that rustic reputation was from a prior era, or 2015 was more cooperative. The blend is mostly grenache but there is some cinsault/mourvedre too, which comes across as a bit of ‘mens cologne’ on the nose. The robe is reddish rather than plum, and the flavors are on the tangy cherry side. It feels like it can keep further. I like this but it’s likely only available (to me) via mail order vendors, so I will just enjoy the memory. By itself, an A- on my card; I don’t think it would show well in a panel tasting though.
