Clos Saint-Jean is a 41-hectare estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape run by brothers Vincent and Pascal Maurel. Considered by many critics and wine-writers as the preeminent estate espousing the modern style of winemaking in Châteauneuf, this cellar is one of the oldest in the region, having been founded in 1900 by the greatgreat-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal, Edmund Tacussel. A short time after its founding and well before the AOP of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was created in 1923, Edmund began bottling estate wines in 1910.
The farming at Clos Saint-Jean is fully sustainable due to the warm and dry climate, which prevents the need for chemical inputs. Instead, Vincent and Pascal employ organic methods for pest control, mainly pheromones, to prevent pests from taking up residence in their vines, a process called amusingly enough in French, confusion sexuelle. The vines tended manually, and harvest is conducted in several passes entirely by hand.
Deus ex Machina is a literary and dramatic term for a miraculous intervention that interrupts a logical course of events in a plot or play. A suitable name for a cuvée that had it’s start in the torrid vintage of 2003 when Philippe Cambie and Vincent Maurel made the decision to harvest at the end of September, weeks after their neighbors. Deus ex Machina is a blend of old vine Grenache from La Crau, aged in tank with equally ancient Mourvedre from the sandy soils of BoisDauphin aged in demi-muid. Deus ex Machina is only made in the best vintages.
Review:
Lastly, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Deus-Ex Machina shows a similar profile to the Combes des Fous, yet it brings another level of tannins and concentration. Kirsch liqueur, white flowers, sandalwood, cured meats, and graphite notes all shine here, and it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered, powerful, yet weightless profile, lots of ripe tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. This ripe, sexy, seamless, incredibly impressive beauty will compete with anything in the vintage. As usual, this cuvée is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre, which is brought up in roughly 40% new demi-muids.
Review: Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Jubilation is our newest wine in the Colgin Cellars collection. Jubilation is our Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine created with a selection of barrels that display earlier drinking characteristics from our three hillside vineyards. As our vine age has matured and small additions have been made to our original holdings, we had the privilege of increasing our selectivity. Following the blending of our single-vineyard wines, we were fortunate to have a collection of barrels that conveyed the same elegance and complexity for which we are known, yet on a more supple, approachable frame. Jubilation is a wine ready to enjoy now, with the pedigree to age gracefully in the cellar, maintaining the Colgin Cellars’ hallmarks of perfume, freshness, and minerality. The inaugural bottling of Jubilation from the 2016 vintage was released in late 2020. Future vintages are destined for select members of the fine wine trade.
Collemattoni Brunello di Montalcino is made from 100 percent Sangiovese.
Color: brilliant red with burgundy reflects; Bouquet: penetrating with memories of wild black fruits, black cherry and noble wood; Taste: warm, dry and persistent
Coming from a parcel with 10-15 year old vines planted in sandy clay and marl soils.
Harvest is 100% destemmed with a soft pressing, fermentation in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature of 28-30°C, pumping over for the first week of maceration followed by skin-contact maceration for 20-25 days with rack and return technique (delestage).
Malolactic fermentation completed.
Wine is slightly filtered before bottling.
Review:
This is a really balanced and pretty young Brunello with dark-cherry and citrus character on both the nose and palate. It’s medium-bodied with integrated tannins and a beautiful, succulent finish. Nicely done. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.
-James Suckling 95 Points
Collemattoni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is made from 100 percent Sangiovese.
Intense ruby red with brilliant burgundy reflects in color. Reminiscent of wild black fruits, vanilla and spices on the nose and dry, warm, slightly austere but velvety in the palate.
This wine comes from the oldest vineyard of Collemattoni: Fontelontano. Less than half hectare. It's one of the few Single Vineyard Brunello di Montalcino riserva.
Coming from a parcel with 15-18 year old vines planted in sandy clay and marl soils.
Harvest is 100% destemmed with a soft pressing, fermentation in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature of 28-30°C, pumping over for the first week of maceration following by skin-contact maceration for 20-25 days with rack and return technique (delestage).
Malolactic fermentation completed. The delestage and the pumping over are then spaced out along the process.
Wine is slightly filtered before bottling.
Review:
This is intense with aromas of dried cherries, sweet licorice, cloves, crushed walnuts and hints of chocolate and undergrowth. Full-bodied, deep and structured with taut, tightly packed tannins. Long and persistent. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Collier Creek Big Rooster Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Teroldego.
Nestled in the heart of the Lodi Appellation, where farmland ran as far as the eye could see, Collier Creek is a place that reminds us of simpler times. With notes of dark fruit, vanilla and full bodied, we're cocky about how good this Cabernet is. The Big Rooster lands in dry and fruit forward on the finish.
RS: 4.3 g/L
TA: 6.8 g/L
Pair with red meat and stews, or hard cheeses like cheddar.
Lovely salmon pink color. A very delicate nose of strawberry and redcurrant fruit with floral undertones. There is a silky richness on the palate full of red berries balanced with a subtle bready texture. Very accessible. Will also develop nicely over time.
Colmant Brut Rose NV is made from 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay
This wine spends a minimum of 24 months on the lees at a consistent temperature of 14C before degorgement.15% of the base wine has been barrel fermented.
Pinot Noir 75%, Chardonnay 25% (Franschhoek, Robertson and Elgin).
15% of the blend is made of reserve wine from the previous vintages and 15% of the base wine is barrel fermented.
This wine spends a minimum of 24 months on the lees at a consistent temperature of 14°C before degorgement.
Perfect as a summer sundowner. A delicious complement to white meat, strawberry dessert and decadent dark chocolate.
Review:
"The Brut Rosé (disgorged March 2018) is a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay with 15% base wine and 15% reserve wine, with the Pinot Noir macerated on its skins for color, matured on the lees for 24 months. Deep salmon in color, it has a fine mousse and attractive strawberry and cherry scents on the nose - no shy and retiring rosé here. The palate is well balanced with Braeburn apples, hints of strawberry and a touch of tart cherries fanning out toward the creamy-textured, satisfying finish. A sparkling rosé that’s proud to be pink!- Neal Martin"
- Vinous (August 28th 2018), 91 pts
In 1992 the Hill-Smith family counted themselves amongst those fortunate enough to own a vineyard upon the famous Coonawarra terra rossa soil over limestone. Experimentation, innovation, minimalist intervention and small batch winemaking has resulted in The Menzies’ reputation as a wine of longevity, elegance and structure.
Deep crimson with a plum hue. Aromas of fresh blackcurrants, mulberry, ozone, violets and exotic spices. Take a sip and you will feel the poise and tension for which great Cabernet is renowned. A wine of great complexity with flavors of blackcurrant jubes, bitter chocolate and mulberries, wrapped in divine tannins and a lovely sweet, dark fruit finish. With decanting in its youth it is enjoyable as an elegant full-bodied red wine.
Wonderful with a chargrilled rib eye on the bone or porcini mushroom, thyme and quinoa risotto.
Review:
Prune plums and blackcurrants. Violets, lavender leaf and black cherry. Olive tapenade, rosemary and crushed black peppercorn. The wine is held together by a fine mesh of grape and subtle oak tannins, intertwined with pure Coonawarra cabernet fruit. It’s chiselled in its dimension, and you might miss it, as it has such great drinking pleasure. Fruit purity, lovingly handled equals total seduction.
- Australian Wine Companion 95 Points
Named after Joe Donelan’s mother, the Nancie Chardonnay is our take on cool-climate, timeless Chardonnay. We love the way Nancie captures the classic qualities of Chardonnay while also exhibiting the unique traits of the unusual sites we source from. This Chardonnay is an emphasis on Old Vines, dry farming, and California heritage clones and selections. Every vintage embodies elegance and class, but no vintage is the same. The assemblage changes every year, so Nancie does not have a recipe. This wine lets us sit shotgun while the cool climate and the terroir do all the navigating, and they never steer us wrong. It is truly an inimitable wine made from a blend of incredible fruit we farm throughout Sonoma County, from the Coast to the Sonoma/Napa border.
On the nose, the Nancie Chardonnay opens with nutmeg, ginger snap, and chai spice leading to high-tone fruit like red apple skin, orange blossom, orchard fruit, and green pineapple. Judicious acidity makes this a great candidate for pairing with food. It’s very fresh on the palate, engaging, and invigorating, and it has quite a finish for Chardonnay. This is a stand-out wine among its peers, with one foot in California, and one foot in the old world.
Nutmeg, ginger snap, chai spice, orange blossom, and red apple skin on the nose. Salinity, minerality, and wonderful acidity on the palate.
Review:
"Named after proprietor Joe Donelan’s mother, the Nancie Chardonnay is crafted from a blend of exceptional vineyard sites across Sonoma. Key sources include Farina Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain, the 45-year-old vines at Lazy W Ranch in the Russian River Valley, along with fruit from Allen Family Ranch and Dehlinger–Garbro Ranch. Winemaker David Milner notes that sites offering mineral tension and naturally high acidity are essential to shaping the blend. The wine is aged for 10 months in 24% new oak. In 2023, the aromatics are superb, with a freshness factor that feels almost unparalleled. Citrus notes and hints of underripe pineapple mingle with ginger spice, flinty minerality and a distinct sea-salt character. Medium-bodied and beautifully precise, the palate is driven by crystalline acidity and candied citrus peel fruit dusted with saline nuance. Citrus, orchard and stone fruit notes build toward an incredibly long, lingering finish, touched by subtle toffee spice. Distinctly saline, complex and expressive, this is a Chardonnay of clarity, energy and sheer deliciousness. - Jonathan CRISTALDI"
Decanter, 96 points