Weekend Vinopolpick- November 9th

After training at several other wineries throughout France, Paul-Vincent Avril joined his father in 1987 and  continues to run the estate today. Just like his father and grandfather before him, Vincent Avril is known not only as a talented winemaker, but as a gracious host and a gregarious ambassador for the region.

Wine Spectator 95 points “Dark, inviting and very alluring, with captivating black tea, charred mesquite and kirsch aromas and flavors allied to a remarkably silky mouthfeel. Superlong, with mineral, violet, pepper and additional crushed cherry and plum notes all gliding through the finish. Shows none of the difficulties of the vintage-arguably the best property in the appelation right now. Best from 2011 through 2027.”

Wine Spectator 96 points “Sinewy and reserved, with a light dusting of cocoa over the tangy damson plum, red licorice and cassis notes. The long, supple finish, with a lovely wafting note of Lapsang souchong tea, is packed with minerality and tight-grained tannins that will need time to fully evolve. One of the more backward 2009s, though this should pick up steam in the cellar. Best from 2013 through 2025.” Robert Parker 95 points “The 2009 is showing better out of bottle than it was last year. Gorgeous kirsch liqueur notes, raspberry jam, forest floor, spice box, new saddle leather and a peppery spiciness are all present in this deep, voluptuously textured, open-knit Clos des Papes, which is atypically forward, luscious and approachable already. These wines often need a good 5-10 years of cellaring in the more structured vintages, but the 2009 is gorgeous from the get-go. This full-bodied, deep, concentrated wine has a deep purple color and should drink well for 20-25 years without ever really closing down.”

Stephen Tanzer 92-94 points  “I tasted the 2011 wine here in its four basic components, drawn from different foudres, followed by a sample of what Avril believes will be the final blend.  #1: 75% grenache, 15% syrah and 10% mourvedre;  intense, spice-accented red fruit aromas, with a sexy floral nuance and good back-end cut.  #2: 50% syrah, 45% grenache and 5% everything else; richer and more masculine, offering deep dark fruit flavors and a hint of bitter chocolate; more serious than the first component but less precise and graceful.  #3:  65% grenache and 35% syrah; graceful and silky in texture, offering vibrant red fruit and floral aromas and flavors.  Very fresh, in an intriguing, pinot-like way, with excellent cut and length.  #4:  65% grenache, 30% mourvedre and 5% syrah; emphatically spicy, with deep cherry and raspberry flavors and a hint of anise.  The spiciness builds with air and carries through impressively.  The final blend is bright ruby red with a heady bouquet of candied red fruits, potpourri and allspice, along with musky herb and mineral elements.  Sappy and precise, with vibrant black raspberry and cherry flavors given lift by zesty acidity.  Finishes clean and very long, with resonating floral and spice notes and harmonious tannins.”

Wine Advocate 94 points “Looking at Paul-Vincent’s Chateauneufs, and a rich, voluptuous example of this cuvee that possesses great acidity, the 2012 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc offers up ripe stone fruits, white currants, honeysuckle and licorice to go with a full-bodied, rich and powerful profile on the palate that somehow stays beautifully fresh and focused. It’s a gorgeous wine that can be consumed in its fresh and vibrant youth, or cellared for a decade or two. It’s a knockout white that should not be missed! Drink now-2032. One of the benchmark estates, Clos des Papes covers close to 90 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape and is run by the incredibly talented Paul-Vincent Avril. Favoring a single cuvee, his Chateauneuf du Pape is always a blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre 10% Syrah and the rest a mix of Vaccarese, Counoise and Muscardin. No new oak is used in the winery and all new barrels and foudre see three vintages of his non-vintage Le Petit Vin d’Avril before being used for his grand vin. Starting out, the two non-vintage Le Petit Vin d’Avril are both beautifully made (the vines are farmed just like Paul-Vincent Chateauneuf du Pape terroirs and the yields are miniscule) and well worth checking out.”

Wine Spectator 98 points “Really tight now, but packed with dark fig, currant, espresso, licorice and chocolate notes. Superfleshy but seriously structured, there’s layer after layer of sweet spice, fruit and minerality pumping through the finish, with lots of latent depth and power. Far more backward than the 2003 or 2004 on release, but since this red typically puts on weight as it ages, it should be a monster–à la the 1990–when it reaches its peak. Best from 2009 through 2030.”

Le Clos du Caillou dates back to at least the first part of the 19th century when the estate itself was a prominent hunting lodge in the region.  However, the modern era for Clos du Caillou began when it was purchased in 1956 by the Pouizin family.  Until 1995 the property was run by Claude Pouizin, who until 1993 sold most of his yield to negociants. In 1995 his daughter Sylvie and son-in-law Jean-Denis Vacheron took hold of the reins and the quality of the wines grew rapidly. Jean-Denis died in 2002 in a tragic accident, leaving it to Sylvie to keep the domaine going on her own, ably assisted by talented people such as wine maker Bruno Gaspard and the oenologist/consultant Philippe Cambie.

With a mere 9 hectares in Châteauneuf du Pape, most of Clos du Caillou’s vineyards are situated in the eastern section of Châteauneuf du Pape in the lieux-dits of Pignant, Les Bédines, and Guigasse, where the soil consists mainly of sand with some stony spots and a deeper layer of marl.  The main part of the parcels were planted in about 1950, the average age of the vines is over 40 years but some of the vines reach up to 100 years in age.   The goal at Clos du Caillou is to respond to what each vintage and vineyard produces while making their wine. Careful vineyard management, modern vinification and a tight control of yields are producing excellent results. The composition of the red wine and how they are treated varies according to the vintage, with the varietals aging seperately in concrete vats, foudres, or in the small barrels in the domaine’s old cellars located nine meters underground.  From this land, three red blends are produced; Cuvee Les Safres, Cuvee Les Quartz and the Reserve, all with a focus on the old vine Grenache that Clos du Caillou specializes in.

Robert Parker 91 points “The dark plum/ruby/purple-tinged 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres is showing better from bottle than it did last year from barrel. A blend of 95% Grenache and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault aged in old foudres, reveals classic notes of herbes de Provence, cherry jam and lavender in a full-bodied, opulent, sexy, open-knit style typical of many 2009s. This broad, rich Chateauneuf is ideal for drinking over the next 10-12 years.”

Robert Parker 94 points “The opaque ruby/purple-colored 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah from one of the appellation’s more obscure lieu-dits. This stunning 2009 offers copious floral notes intermixed with crushed rock, wet stone, kirsch and black currant characteristics.”

Robert Parker 94+ points  “Intense, full-bodied and opulent, it is presently as rich, powerful and promising as their top luxury cuvee, the dense purple-colored 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve. The latter wine normally towers above the other two cuvees, but it is also more backward because 40% of the blend is split between Mourvedre and Syrah aged in new oak casks and the balance of 60% Grenache is aged in 600-liter demi-muids. Its deep purple color is followed by expansive, broad, sweet kirsch and black raspberry fruit notes intermixed with hints of licorice, graphite and spice box. Full-bodied with terrific purity as well as an attractive earthy, truffle, meaty character, it is much more evolved and forward than most vintages tend to be as this cuvee often needs 8-10 years of bottle age in the more tannic, backward years. However, that is not the case with this 2009 Reserve. It should drink well for 15+ years.”