Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is made from 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% divers.
In contrast to Chaupin, which is made from old-vine Grenache on sandy soils, the cuvée Vieilles Vignes is from old vines of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah along with smaller percentages of other permitted varieties that are grown in these old vineyards. The wine is sourced from 4 terroirs: pebbly clay, sand, gravelly red clay and sandy limestone. Vieilles Vignes is always the most powerful and concentrated Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvée made at Domaine de la Janasse.
Review:
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes also saw some stems (the estate started keeping some stems with the 2016 vintage) and was 75% destemmed, with the blend being 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, Cinsault, and Terret Noir. As usual, it’s a more powerful, black-fruited wine comparted to the Cuvée Chaupin and has lots of crème de cassis, liquid violet, crushed stone, woodsmoke, and peppery herbs. It displays the vintage’s purity and freshness yet brings the concentration as well as the structure. I’ll be shocked if it’s not in the handful of top wines in the vintage.
-Jeb Dunnuck 96-98 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
The nose is a basket of fruits with yellow and white flesh, where peach and exotic fruits dominate. A few notes of vanilla and brioche add a touch of extra fat. The richness of its mouth unfolds in a long sarabande of persistent aromas.
This blend is an ideal companion to a serving of Fillet of St. Pierre fish cooked on the skin.
Review:
Moving to the whites, the 2021 Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc is close to an even split of Clairette, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc. It has a layered, medium to full-bodied style offering classic aromatics of white peach, acacia flowers, and honeyed minerality. Fresh, pure, and vibrant, it brings plenty of richness and depth. Drink it over the coming 3-5 years or. It will keep longer, if you're so inclined. Best after 2022.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Mordoree Tavel Rose Dame Rousse is made from Grenache 60 %, Cinsault 10%, Syrah 10 %, Mourvèdre 10%, Clairette 5%, and Bourboulenc 5%.
Nose : steady rose, brilliant and limpid.
Aromas : very complex with flowers, red and white fruits aromas.
Palate : rounded, full bodied with a long lasting aniseed and fruity finish.
Ageing potential : 4 to 6 years
Surface : 9 Ha. Yield : 44 Hl./Ha. Vineyard age : 40 years Terroir : Clay / chalk and sandy with pebble stones. Harvest : by hand Vinification : 100% destemming, cold maceration during 48 h., pneumatic pressing, fermentation at 18° C. Estate bottle
Food pairing: cold meat and delicatessen, poultry, white meats, grilled meats, fried fish, fish soup, pastas, pizzas and all Asian cuisine.
Review:
Deeply concentrated and penetrating with blackberry and black cherry flavors, this pale ruby rosé offers the zesty fruit character that rosé lovers demand alongside an intensity and structure craved by red wine drinkers. A touch more spry than the producer's more richly concentrated La Reine des Bois, it's a delicately spiced, pepper-edged rosé that can be enjoyed year-round.
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Mordoree Tavel Rose Dame Rousse is made from Grenache 60 %, Cinsault 10%, Syrah 10 %, Mourvèdre 10%, Clairette 5%, and Bourboulenc 5%.
Nose : steady rose, brilliant and limpid.
Aromas : very complex with flowers, red and white fruits aromas.
Palate : rounded, full bodied with a long lasting aniseed and fruity finish.
Ageing potential : 4 to 6 years
Surface : 9 Ha. Yield : 44 Hl./Ha. Vineyard age : 40 years Terroir : Clay / chalk and sandy with pebble stones. Harvest : by hand Vinification : 100% destemming, cold maceration during 48 h., pneumatic pressing, fermentation at 18° C. Estate bottle
Food pairing: cold meat and delicatessen, poultry, white meats, grilled meats, fried fish, fish soup, pastas, pizzas and all Asian cuisine.
The wine is made from 60% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Bourboulenc, 5% Clairette.
Steady pink, brilliant and limpid color. Very complex nose with flowers, red and white fruits aromas. Round, full bodied with a long lasting aniseed and fruity finish.
Food pairing: cold meat and delicatessen, poultry, white meats, grilled meats, fried fish, fish soup, pastas, pizzas and all Asian cuisine.
"The 2011 La Dame Rousse Tavel Rose, which is 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the rest equal parts Cinsault and the white grape Clairette. Full-bodied and substantial on the palate, with stunning notes of strawberry and kirsch intermixed with licorice, lavender and spring flowers, this is about as good a rose as one can find in the marketplace, but it is not for those looking for a somewhat innocuous, lighter-styled rose. This wine delivers in an authoritative, surprisingly intense style. Drink it over the next 1-3 years. Perhaps the best rose made in the world today is Mordoree’s Tavel Rose La Reine des Bois ($34.00; 94 points for the 2011). As I have said in the past, the vintages I have tasted to date are as profound as a rose can be. It is more similar to a light red wine than any rose I have tasted, but it is expensive, particularly for a rose."
- Wine Advocate (Issue 201, June 2012), 93 pts
"This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Clairette sourced from 40-year-old vines. It is a beautiful medium opacity cherry-ruby color. There is a medium strength nose of floral fruit, pastilles, and with air there are scents of raspberries. The mouth follows the nose but shows more structure with a mild creamy mouthfeel, expansive sweet-spiced fruit, understated acidity, and almost gritty sweet spices and a stony tang in the aftertaste. Robust at first it takes on a sense of breed after a few days. *** 2013-2015."
- Hogshead Wine Blog (May 18th 2012) (see article here), ***
"This Tavel rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Clairette It displays an aromatic nose with fresh red fruit and light earth notes. It is dry on the palate with high acidity and a crisp finish."
- I-WineReview (April 2012), 88 pts
The Mordoree Estate
This is arguably the top estate in our Portfolio. Domaine de la Mordoree (woodcock), located in the town of Tavel, in the Southern Rhone Valley, is the most consistent producer of top quality wine in my entire selection. In 1986, the brothers Christophe and Fabrice Delorme decided to dedicate themselves to their passion for wine. They started their own estate with the objective to produce the best wines in each appellation while preserving the environment
The Mordoree Vineyard
The vineyard consists of 55 hectares (135 acres), on 38 different parcels, which provide with a rich, wide range of soils and climates. The soil is a mix of clay, chalk and sand with pebble stones. The improvements at the Domaine have been incredible: new pneumatic presses, new stainless steel vats, new destemmer, new vinification and aging plant, and aging in oak barrels for the top wines. All the grapes are raised by culture raisonnée which is very close to organic viticulture (intervention in the vineyard only when necessary). The yield is reduced in the vineyard by ébourgeonnage (de budding in spring) and vendanges vertes in summer (green harvesting). Oak aging for the top wines in special barrels like “jupille” for 10 months. No expense is spared at this Domaine to achieve quality.
Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Riserva is made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso.
A rare wine, renowned for its extraordinary ability to age, the Biondi-Santi Riserva is produced only in the best vintages. From 1888 until today, only 41 vintages have been released.
Vineyard Profile
Vintage Report
A majestic vintage where structure, elegance and freshness combine to form something special. 2015 was a hot and dry year with constant warm temperatures from May through August which permitted the production of perfectly ripe, concentrated grapes. At the beginning of September the “tramontana” a wind coming from the north, refreshed and restored the plants before the final phase of maturation, which was characterized by significant day-night temperature, typical of our high-altitude vineyards.
Vinification
Technical Information
Tasting Notes
The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a truly majestic wine. The bouquet is packed with intense fruity notes of black berries, pomegranate and plums, intertwined with scents of Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage, rising from a carpet of forest floor. On the palate, the wine seduces with exuberant charm and caressing sweetness. The youthful tannins reveal its immense structure and contribute to creating a distinctive sensation of freshness which leads us towards a long-lingering, savory finish.
Review:
The Biondi-Santi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is initially a reticent wine and one that does not immediately subscribe to the overstated abundance and exuberance of the vintage. Give it time. I wrote this review after several tastings over several days so I could ensure a more accurate account of the wine's elegant reveal. Contemplative and exceedingly nuanced in personality, with wild berry, underbrush, ferrous earth and candied orange peel, this has everything to look forward to in terms of its future evolution in the bottle. It displays a pretty ruby color that borders on garnet and polished copper. A silky, mid-weight palate is accented by beautifully managed and silky tannins (this aspect of the mouthfeel is extraordinary), bright freshness and long-lasting fruit momentum. The alcohol is a bit more powerful in this release (at 14.5%), but the effect is supple and smooth nonetheless. I tasted bottle number 256. Tenuta Biondi Santi does not usually release bottle production numbers, but I can confirm that 2,000 bottles of the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva are earmarked for the United States market.
-Wine Advocate 98+ Points
Corinne Perchaud Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume is made from 100 percent Chardonnay
Elegant citrus aromas. Concentrated and finessed, combining flavors of dried fruit with slight hints of woody notes. Perfect balance between body and acidity, long and persistent finish. This one is drinking great now, but as with all exceptional Chablis, it is possible to pay it down for years to come.
Made from 35 year old vines. The owners take great care to produce exceptional Chablis wine by keeping the lively Chardonnay fruit and the unique mineral quality imparted by the Kimmeridgian soil, the fruity acidity and bouquet in perfect balance. The grapes are harvested by hand and gently pressed in a horizontal pressoir to ensure the fullest extraction and range of flavors and aromas.
Pair with Scallops Jacques cream, roast veal with oyster mushrooms.