Reviews

Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

Earth and funk.like, a lot of funk. Like, flawed. Like broken in pieces, except that the two Pegau-hounds at the gathering kept telling me how amazing it was and that this whole "I'm in touch with…

Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Collection Charles Giraud

Checking in on this wine from a couple years ago, I found this to exhibit its best glide after a few hours in the decanter, where it had the opportunity to blow off its slightly boozy heat on the…

Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

Pours a tawny color, fooling you into thinking this is going to be all funk and no flash. On the palate, this is surprisingly sound and correct, with obviously advanced notes of muddled strawberry,…

Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis

Suuuuuuper tannic and powerful, with crunchy blackberry and plum skin notes skipping off rock and stems, finishing grippy and slappy. A fairly loud showing, the Colombis is best fitted for the exact…

Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Tintot

As good as the 2015, and perhaps with even greater depth and concentration, this 2016 Tintot shows fabulous dark black and deep red berry fruits complimented by black olive, tar, licorice, melted…

Domaine Giraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée les Grenaches de Pierre

Pouring a translucent ruby, with what at first glance might seem like a somewhat thinly hued transparency, the Grenaches de Pierre leads-in with a comparatively lighter tinge and muted nose. First…

Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

Signature Applewood bacon and mulch kick off the launch of earthy dark red and black berry, kirsch, cedar plank, garrigue, soppressata, sandalwood, and earthy funk flavors that culminate in a…

Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul

Sexy and powerful cassis and licorice notes lead the charge, with deeply pitched red and black berry notes rushing up to fill in the gaps. With air, the flow of flavor is even more expansive and…

Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Party-rockin' and sexy ta-boot, the Clos des Papes struts black licorice, blackberry, spice, and tears of shame like it's not coming back home til the next day. Ripe and ready, the black licorice…

Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Deux Frères

Fresh pine needles on the nose makes for a curious first sip, but the taste is all about succulent blackberry and saturated red raspberry fruit washing over the palate with such juiciness and…

Chimère Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Black raspberry, fresh orange peel, cardamom, plum, and cassis present in a subtly candied and liqueur-like fashion, but stay true to the region from where it is attempting to honor. Does it taste…

Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des Sabon

Amongst a number of the CdP beasts in the lineup, the Sabon was a beauty, with a well-orchestrated cadence of delivery and a sauntering flavor expansion, it offers flavors of red and black berry…

M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Barbe Rac

A funky cold medina, the Barb Rac was one of the more farmy and earthy of the bunch, with plum and red/black raspberry notes playing tug-o-war with the dirty overalls American Gothic (or rather,…

Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Collection Charles Giraud

This is a total gym rat of a CdP, with power and chewy toughness forming the frame for ripe black and dark red raspberry fruit flavors punching their way through the palate (rather than along the…

Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire

Powerful and a bit edgy, the Cailloux Centenaire shows some cocktail elements that shoot the dark red and black berry fruit into the boozehound arena for now. Surprisingly watery on the finish,…

Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo

More of a red-fruited animal, the Capo showed a tartness on the finish that both helped and hindered the expansion of the mid-weight ripe fruit on the front end. Herbal and earthy notes offer frame…

Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Folie

Ripe and plummy, with a slight raisin quality, the Bosquet des Papes La Folie is all about RIGHT NOW. If Realm made a CdP and barreled it down in the basement of an Atlantic City casino, it would be…

Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois

Corked. Wet newspaper and bitter blackberry seeds.

Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin

One of the CdPs of the night, the Beaucastel Jacques displays instant purity and depth from the first sip. Beautiful and stately and also dark and brooding, there is an elegance-meets-athleticism…

Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes

Funky and a bit barnyard, this was one of the least fruit-driven of the 2016 CdPs. Leather and garrigue dominate the front end, with raspberry and black cherry coulis rounding out the profile.…

Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pure Rouge

On the modern side of modern, the stewed and plummy nose of the Barroche Pure signals what you're in for, flashing ultra-ripe black berry fruit, steeped plums, black cherry syrup, cassis, and dark…

Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée XXL

A HUGE mouthfeel here, powerfully ripe and not ashamed to throw it in your face with a fistful of dark and heady fruit. This is a Napa Cab on steroids type of CdP that somehow manages to majestically…

Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes

An outstanding effort and one of my favorite wines of the night. A complete and put-together 2016 CdP, outshining the Chaupin and even the XXL with its unmatched combination of balanced concentration…

Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

This was still holding up decently given its age, but it is most definitely spiraling. Burnt orange peel, tobacco, leather, band-aid, sherry, and autumn leaf notes make for a predictable aged wine…

Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin

Following the theme of modernity, the Chaupin was one of the most California wines in the lineup. Powerful blackberry and dark plum work well with a blast of black licorice to push and flex the…