Corne Loup Tavel Rose 2013 (half bottle)
Corne Loup Tavel Rose is made from 65% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 10% Syrah and the remaining 10% are Mourvèdre, Clairette and Carignan
The average age of the vines is 20 years.
Yield: 40 hl/ha
.
Elegant, refreshing, food-friendly and versatile, this very well made Tavel offers mouth-watering aromas of strawberry and berry pie. Dry and lively, it is an ideal wine for barbecues as it makes a wonderful sipper that’s also capable of matching with a wide variety of summer foods, including grilled chicken, seafood and summer salads
Review:
This estate always makes a terrific Rosé and the 2016 Tavel is no exception. Sporting a classic Tavel deeper raspberry color, it offers terrific notes of black cherries, framboise and flowers in a medium-bodied, nicely textured, yet still fresh and vibrant style. I’d call it a food Rosé, but it has the purity and freshness drink nicely on its own as well. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Jeb Dunnuck (2017 Rosé Round Up, September 4th 2017), 91 pts
Corne Loup Tavel Rose is made from 65% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 10% Syrah and the remaining 10% are Mourvèdre, Clairette and Carignan
The average age of the vines is 20 years.
Yield: 40 hl/ha
.
Elegant, refreshing, food-friendly and versatile, this very well made Tavel offers mouth-watering aromas of strawberry and berry pie. Dry and lively, it is an ideal wine for barbecues as it makes a wonderful sipper that’s also capable of matching with a wide variety of summer foods, including grilled chicken, seafood and summer salads
Review:
"Crushed stone, watermelon, strawberry and hints of peach show up on the nose of the 2017 Tavel. This is medium-bodied, stony and dry, with a plump mouthfeel and silky feel on the finish. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (June 15th 2018), 90 pts
Corne Loup Lirac Rouge is made from 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre
Dry - less than 4 grams/liter
Color: dark red ruby.
Aromas: red berries, truffles and spices.
Flavors: complex and rich. It shows red and black fruits, with an herbal spice type of aromas coming from the surrounding vegetation (Garrigue).
The average age of the vines is 40 years. (The oldest vines are 80 years old).
The soil is mainly sandy marl and small pebble stones.
Pairs with lamb, duck, turkey, red meat, game and cheese.
Corne Loup Tavel Rose 2013 (half bottle) is made from 65% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 10% Syrah and the remaining 10% are Mourvèdre, Clairette and Carignan.
Elegant, refreshing, food-friendly and versatile, this very well made Tavel offers mouth-watering aromas of strawberry and berry pie.
Dry and lively, it is an ideal wine for barbecues as it makes a wonderful sipper that's also capable of matching with a wide variety of summer foods, including grilled chicken, seafood and summer salads.
The Domaine Corne-Loup Estate
In 1966 the Lafond family purchased 3 ha. in Tavel and in the beginning they sold the production to the cooperative. Through the years their possessions has increased and today their vineyards covers 27 ha. of Tavel, 10 ha. of Lirac and 4 ha. of Cotes du Rhone. Today Jacques Lafond run the domain helped by his daughter Geraldine.
The Domaine Corne-Loup Vineyards
The Estate is 42 hectares (104 acres) in total between 3 appelations (Cotes du Rhone, Lirac and Tavel). The vineyards dedicated to Tavel AOC represent 27 hectares (67 acres).
The entire Tavel AOC is 934 hectares in total with an average of 42 hl/ha for the appelation
Niero Condrieu Chery is 100 percent Viognier.
Truly aromatic explosive expression, this wonderful vintage makes one appreciate both its richness and complexity.
its full and savory taste in the mouth together with a beautiful mineraltaste drives us to a lasting and generous final taste.
The grapes are coming from a 0.8 hectare (2 acres) vineyard.
The terroirs is made of decomposed granite soil on the slopes of the famous hillside of "Chéry".
Vines are 30 years old on average.
Pair with sweetbreads cooked with morels, grilled white fish with green asparagus' risotto, veal chop, Japanese food.
Review:
"A deep, rich and mineral-laced style of Condrieu, Niero’s 2014 Condrieu Chéry is loaded with notions of apple blossom, honeyed tangerine, smoke and citrus. Coming all from the famed granite soils of the Chéry lieu-dit (which is one of the top terroirs in Condrieu and consist of mostly 50- to 80-year-old vines), this medium to full-bodied beauty has plenty of mid-palate depth, good acidity and a focused, yet lengthy feel on the palate. Aged 12 months in 60% stainless steel and 40% in oak, it’s a terrific success in this less than straightforward vintage.- Jeb Dunnuck"
- The Wine Advocate (Issue #222, December 2015), 92 pts
Brilliant
yellow-gold. Powerful peach, melon and tangerine aromas, backed by floral and
honey nuances. Silky and open-knit, showing very good heft and thrust to the
juicy citrus and pit fruit flavors. Rich yet lively thanks to a core of acidity
that drives a long, ginger-accented finish. Textbook Condrieu, and the type I'd
drink with decadent foods, like sweetbreads or Veal Oscar. Blue cheeses would
also work well.-Tanzer 93 Points
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What this vineyard captures, more so than any other Pinot Noir site that I have tasted, is both power and elegance. Bright and forceful Bing cherries and dark berries along with the slightest hue of roasted coffee bean on the nose. Immediate and broad textured tannins cover the palate as flavors of black raspberries, licorice and black tea leaves unravel. Oak-inspired overtones of crispy charred marshmellows and fall spice with balance acids elongate a finish that reverbs for hours.
What this vineyard captures, more so than any other Pinot Noir site that I have tasted, is both power and elegance. Bright and forceful Bing cherries and dark berries along with the slightest hue of roasted coffee bean on the nose. Immediate and broad textured tannins cover the palate as flavors of black raspberries, licorice and black tea leaves unravel. Oak-inspired overtones of crispy charred marshmellows and fall spice with balance acids elongate a finish that reverbs for hours.
The Soberanes Vineyard is the latest exciting joint venture between the Pisoni and Franscioni Families. The site features tightly spaced vines and is planted to 33 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah and sits on the Santa Lucia Highlands Bench adjacent to the Garys' Vineyard. The clonal material planted in the loamy, rocky soil is very diverse and features over a dozen of the most renowned heritage selections from California and Burgundy in pursuit of the finest wine quality.
Review:
The vineyard is famous for producing ripe, luscious Pinots stuffed with massive fruit. Many wineries have dipped into it over the years. Krutz’s rendition is dry, balanced and full-bodied, with relatively high alcohol framing raspberry, cherry, cola, red plum, exotic spice and sandalwood flavors. It should age well through 2020–2022.
- Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
Marcassin Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The 2013 Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard may be even better. Notes of caramelized citrus, hazelnut, apple blossom, lemon oil and orange marmalade are all present in this wine of dazzling aromatic and flavor dimension. It is full-bodied, again shows some wet pebbles (which I equate with minerality), vibrant acidity, and no real evidence of any oak. Much like the 2012, the finish goes on for 45+ seconds. This is another killer Chardonnay from Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer. -Wine Advocate 100 Points
What an extraordinary tasting this was at the Marcassin winery just north of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Just when you think the duo of Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer can’t make greater wines, they bowl over the taster with an array of exquisite quality that really must be tasted to be believed. Marcassin was probably California’s greatest Chardonnay after the famous Chalone winery fell from the pinnacle and onto hard times in the 1980s (and it has yet to rebound). Moreover, Marcassin set the bar for great Pinot Noir as well. And while both their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have many competitors these days (from the likes of Harford Court, Mark Aubert, Kistler, Kongsgaard, DuMol, Thomas Brown, Peter Michael, Martinelli and Luc Morlet, to name a few), John Wetlaufer and Helen Turley remain the reigning geniuses of these two varietals in California. Certainly, their meticulous attention to detail in both the vineyard and in the winemaking and élevage account for the quality, but they were among the pioneers who saw the unlimited potential from the Sonoma Coast, now a relatively crowded neighborhood. This was a remarkable tasting that simply blew me away, and I have been following their wines since the first Marcassins were made in the early 1990s. By the way, any doubts about aging potential should be crushed immediately, as even in the most challenging vintages in California, Marcassin Chardonnays and Pinots have aged as well as, if not better than just about any grand cru white Burgundy. For example, 1995 and 1996 Chardonnays, particularly those from the Lorenzo Vineyard, are incredibly youthful and dynamic, and the Marcassin Estate Pinot Noir, even from vintages such as 1998, is simply amazing.
The three Chardonnays tasted include two perfect wines. Perhaps the closest comparison is not to anything made in California, but a Corton-Charlemagne in a top vintage from the famous Jean François Coche-Dury.
