Country: | France |
Region: | Rhone |
Winery: | Gourt de Mautens Jerome Bressy |
Grape Type: | Grenache |
Vintage: | 2005 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
The Gourt de Mautens Jerome Bressy Estate
Gourt de Mautens is a family owned winery located in Rasteau that started in 1996. In 1998, Jerome Bressy took over the 13 hectares of vineyard and for him it was a dream come true. Next the winery and the ageing cellar were built.
This is the insider’s wine of the Southern Rhone. Many winemakers in the Rhone Valley, Christophe Delorme (Domaine de la Mordoree) included, feel that Jerome Bressy will be making the best wines in the entire Southern Rhone Valley in the future.
Jerome chose the options of small yields (8-15 hectoliters/hectare) and organic farming (now controlled by Ecocert) along with the use of homeopathy, which he considers essential conditions for making a great wine. Since 1989 they have not used any chemical fertilizers or pesticides on the vines, so the soil can give what it has to give in the most natural way. The yields have always been lower than average because of his father’s concern about grape quality. The estate took another step forward in the organic farming by becoming biodynamic in 2007.
The Domaine produces an average of 2,000 cases each year, red and white wine, both of equal quality (not quantity), from small different plots in Rasteau. These are homogeneous wines as each plot is farmed with the same concern for perfection, regardless of any difference in quality among them. The goal being to be at nature’s service, stepping in the process only when necessary.
The name of the Estate, "Gourt de Mautens", is the name of the area where part of the vineyard and the family farm are located. This name dates back to 1635. In provencal dialect "Gourt" means a place where the water flows from and "mautens" means bad weather. Thus, it is an area where water flows from chalky clay marly soil when it rains.
"This is one of the sensational estates in Rasteau, with proprietor Jerome Bressy farming just over 20 acres of vines. Organic farming and the naturally low yields of his old vines (8-15 hectoliters per hectare) result in wines of extraordinary concentration and intensity."
- Wine Advocate (Issue 175, Feb. 08),
The Gourt de Mautens Jerome Bressy Vineyard
The vineyard measures 13 hectares (32 acres) and is made of several parcels planted on terraces, hillsides, banks and plateaux with a northwestern and southwestern sun exposure. The soils are made of clay and limestone marls.
Most of the vines are 45-90 years old, only 1/3rd of them is 5-30 years old. On some parcels different varieties can be found on the same row, just like it used to be in the ancient times.
Red : 70% Grenache ; 30% Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Counoise, Muscardin and Vaccarèse.
White : 45% Grenache blanc, 45% Bourboulenc, 10% various
Fortified wine (Vin doux naturel): 90% Grenache and 10% Carignan
Green harvest of the younger vines. A first selection is done in the parcels during the harvest (the grapes that are not selected are left on the ground).
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape is made from 65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre.
Domaine de Beaurenard’s flagship wine is a quintessential blend, reflecting all the diversity of the terroir and the perfect synergy that exists between the soils and the grapes. It offers a supple and refined texture associated with a delicate aromatic palette that is the result of a constant quest for freshness.
Review:
Checking in as a blend of 65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest a handful of varieties, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape was brought up in a mix of foudre and older barrels. This deep ruby/purple-hued effort has a pure, vibrant, incredibly seamless, medium to full-bodied style that carries classic notes of black raspberry and black cherry fruits as well as peppery herbs, violets, spring flowers, and sous bois. This straight-up gorgeous, seamless, ultra-fine 2019 should be snatched up by readers. It has a rare mix of elegance, purity, and power, and it’s going to have two decades of prime drinking.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Nicolas Potel Domaine de Bellene Beaune Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes Hommage a Francoise Potel is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
A blend of five premier cru climats, this homage to Nicolas Potel’s late mother has a lovely and engaging aroma that combines delicate floral nuances with finely structured dark cherry and blueberry fruit. Even some cranberry emerges on the superbly focused mid-palate. A very elegant wine, with fine length.
Review:
- Wine Spectator 92 Points
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
Domaine Drouhin Laurene Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
In the flush of its youth, the 2019 Laurène sparkles like a bright ruby. Cherry, mulberry, blackcurrant, and spices all harmonize into a beautifully aromatic bouquet. An overall graceful character is balanced by a firm structure and velvety tannins. This Laurène is a shining example of everything we’ve come to know and cherish from our vineyards in the Dundee Hills.
Review:
The 2019 Pinot Noir Laurène is youthfully coiled at this stage and will take more time in bottle to unwind. It opens with flinty, rocky notes, fleshing out to blackberry, red cherry and dark, spicy undertones. The palate is silky, intense and long, with a plethora of savory accents hinting at more to come.
-Wine Advocate 96+ Points
Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir.
Jean Grivot’s 38.3 acres spread across 22 appellations with vineyards in the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Besides the three grand crus, there are 8 premier crus including the much lauded Les Beaux Monts and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée. The grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermentation is spontaneous.
About the Vineyard:
Clos de Vougeot grand cru was acquired by Étienne’s grandfather, Gaston Grivot, in 1919. The total holding is 4.6 acres from the middle of the vineyard to the lower wall and the average vine age is 40 years old. A good Clos de Vougeot should be a complete wine without any one feature standing out. It is a perfect balance of power, aroma, and flavor.
Wine Production:
The grapes are destemmed and maceration à froid usually lasts just a day or two. The alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous and malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 40-70% percent for the grands crus.
Tasting Notes:
The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 40-70% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
Food Pairing:
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Review:
This round version is packed with ripe black cherry, violet, graphite and tobacco flavors. The silky texture and vibrant acidity work in tandem, while refined tannins provide support without getting in the way. There are a few edges to be worked out, yet this is long and concentrated.
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Crafted with precision from six pedigreed sites comes a wine that beams with pale straw hue. The newest vintage brings wonderful aromatic intensity: candied lemon peel, white florals followed by crisp green apple. A creamy and viscous texture on the palate is buoyed by white nectarine and dried apricot that’s balanced with a vibrant acidity, bringing focus to the wine’s finish that lingers with hints of flinty mineral notes.