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Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge is made from 30% each Grenache and Mourvèdre, with 10% each Counoise and Syrah, plus 20% other permitted varieties, including a healthy proportion of white grapes.

The story :
Château de Beaucastel has long been considered one of the great wines of France. It is unanimously renowned for its balance, elegance and ageing potential. Beaucastel has an extraordinary terroir at the Northern end of the appellation with heavy exposure to the Mistral. All 13 varieties of the appellation have been organically grown here since the sixties.

 Location :

Châteauneuf du Pape, between Orange and Avignon, Château de Beaucastel red is a 70-hectare vineyard.

Terroir :
Château de Beaucastel is 110 hectares, with one single plot at the north of the appellation. The terroir is archetypal of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf: rolled pebbles on the surface, sand, clay and limestone deeper down. The vines are old and have been organically grown for 50 years, which has allowed the roots to grow exceptionally deep.
Beaucastel grows all thirteen grape varieties authorised by the appellation.

Ageing :
Each variety is harvested manually and separately. Vinification is completed in truncated oak barrels for the reductive grapes (Mourvèdre and Syrah) and in traditional tiled cement tanks for the oxidative grapes (such as Grenache). After the malolactic fermentations, the family blends the different varieties and then the wine ages in oak Foudres for a year before bottling.

 Review:

deep, quite herbal expression, with liquorice and crushed blueberries to the cassis fruit. Full-bodied, powerfully fruited, dense and deep. Really mouthcoating, intense fruit. The tannins are ripe, fine and plentiful, all saturated in blackberry juice on a long finish. Certainly one of the more successful Châteauneufs this year. Will age well. A Mourvèdre-led expression of Beaucastel - it contains more than usual, at least 35% and probably more. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre. (MW)  (9/2022)

-Decanter 96 Points

Xavier Vignon Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Cuvee Anonyme 2019  is made from 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and the rest is "field blend" with the following grapes : grenache, vaccarese, counoise, mourvèdre, terret noir and muscardin.

One of Xavier Vignon's first almost anonymous blends only in MAGNUMS ! 

The grapes come from "collection vines", where many grape varieties are planted together, making it difficult to identify the exact share of each variety: grenache, vaccarese, counoise, mourvèdre, terret noir and muscardin.

Partially destemmed and vinified in a mix of demi-muids and tank, it offers a beautifully pure, vibrant bouquet of black raspberries, white and black pepper, candied orange, and violets. Complex, layered, and nuanced, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless texture, and a great finish. It has both elegance and richness, and will keep for 15+ years.

Pairing: Duck in sauce with olives. Ravioli with porcini mushrooms, cream of parsnip and bacon crisps. Partridge leg confit with olive oil.

Review:

"The flagship from Xavier is the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Anonyme, and in 2019 it’s 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, and the balance a mix of permitted varieties. Partially destemmed and brought up in a mix of demi-muids and tank, it offers a beautifully pure, vibrant bouquet of black raspberries, white and black pepper, candied orange, and violets. Complex, layered, and nuanced, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless texture, and a great finish. It has both elegance and richness, and will keep for 15+ years."

- Jeb Dunnuck (October 2020), 95-97 pt

Le Blanc du Chateau des Landes Bordeaux Blanc  is made from 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillion.

Le Blanc du Chateau des Landes Bordeaux Blanc is a very fruity style of Bordeaux Blanc AOC. It has great aromatic intensity with white peach and citrus aromas. 

No oak for this wine. The wine was aged on the lees for a few month in stainless steel tank.
Malolactic fermentation was completed as well in the process .

Excellent as an aperitif, it also goes very well with poultry and salads.  If you have a chance to have access to fresh oyters, it is a great match as well.

The first vintage of this wine was made in 2018 as Nicolas Lassagne wanted to create an easy drinking wine that will be perfect as an aperitif in the summer time or to compliment salads and seafood in the winter time. 

Delas Freres Cote Rotie La Landonne Rouge is made from 100 percent Syrah.

Tasting Notes: The wine‘s deep color is underscored by plummy hues. A complex nose shows deep, fruity aromas with hints of licorice and roasted coffee. Endowed with a dense and silky tannic structure, this is a full, fleshy wine that provides an ample and generous palate. Its lasting finish speaks of considerable ageing potential.

Reviews:

This is dark and still a bit reticent, with a cast iron cloak around the core of dark currant, plum and blackberry paste flavors, showing lots of sweet bay leaf, anise and singed apple wood notes in the background. There's serious grip through the finish. For the cellar.

-Wine Spectator 96 Points

Very open, spicy and fresh on the nose, you could almost open this now. Struck flint notes assist in teasing out notes of leaf tea, tobacco, rosemary and rose. Very full-bodied, generous but powerful on the palate, tense and mineral. Mouthcoating ripe, sweet tannin and robust amounts of sweet baking spices, along with more tobacco and black fruit on the palate. Has depth, length, power and impressive balance despite the high alcohol. Drink from now into 2022, or from 2031 to 2040. Lieu-dit La Landonne, from the Brune side (mica schist bedrock). Matured in new and one-year-old barrels for 14 months.

-Decanter 96 Points

The 2019 Côte Rôtie La Landonne comes from one of the greatest sites for Syrah in the world, the La Landonne lieu-dit located close to the center of the appellation, on the Côte Brune side. It reveals a deeper purple hue (it's slightly more opaque than the Seigneur de Maugiron) and offers a brilliant nose of ripe cassis, black raspberries, scorched earth, smoked herbs, and seared meat. Full-bodied and powerful on the palate, this is a deep, spicy, concentrated Côte Rôtie with a plush, layered mouthfeel, sweet tannins, beautiful balance, and a great, great finish. This puppy brings the fruit, opulence, and texture of the vintage yet still has a classic Côte Rôtie character.
-Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points

Fresh aromatic layers of mint sit atop crushed red cherries and wild strawberries, with light clove and thyme on the nose. The palate is rich and enticing with black cherries, plums, rhubarb, pomegranate seeds, black olives and freshly picked rosemary leaves. Tremendous texture, structure, and refreshing acidity carry this wine to a robust finish of orange zest and black tea leaves. Maisons Marques & Domaines USA.

- Wine Enthusiast 96 Points

Tasting Notes

Food Pairing

Alain Jaume Domaine du Clos de Sixte Lirac  is made from 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre

An intense red garnet color. On the nose, aromas of red and black ripe fruit (kirsch and wild blackberry). The mouth is full, with aromas of blackcurrant liqueur and spice. Tannins are both harmonious and elegant thanks to the fleshiness of the wine. Hints of licorice and vanilla on the finish, which gives the wine length and complexity.

Soil type LIRAC vineyard is facing Chateauneuf du Pape, opposite side of the Rhône river. As showed by the picture and following geologist George Truc, soils are almost similar in both side. They are marked by the violence wrought by the Rhone river. It consists of a layer of marine molasses of the Miocene period covered by alpine alluvium. The presence of a great number of rounded stones known as "galets" in the earth is evidence of the time when the Rhone, then a torrent, tore fragments of rock from the Alps and deposited them on the plain. LIRAC is one of the up-coming best area from the southern Rhône valley, as it delivers outstanding wines. Winemaking & ageing Traditional wine-making in stainless still vats. Hand sorted bunches, crushed and destemmed grapes. Fermentation temperature : 30°C. 18 days of vatting with pigeages.

Review:

"The 2016 Lirac Domaine du Clos de Sixte is a terrific wine, easily the rival to many Châteauneufs from across the river, starting with its alluring aromas of flowering garrigue and ripe cherries. A blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre, this full-bodied wine is lush and concentrated on the palate, then turns velvety on the long finish. I'd treat it like a Châteauneuf du Pape in terms of cellaring: hold it for a few years, then drink it over the next 15. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue 233, October 2017), 93+ pts

Landes Cuvee Prestige Lussac Saint Emilion is made from 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc

Color: deep dark ruby intense color
Aroma: racy and aromatic nose with aromas of ripe red fruit, floral notes, wood and spice with a touch of vanilla.
Taste: this wine has a good structure and some powerful aromas of raspberries, blackcurrant, vanilla and it is powerful with a complex finish. The oak is present but not dominant. The tannins are quite well integrated already.

Average age of the Vines: 60 years Yield : 50 hectoliters / hectare. Grape picking: harvest by machine. Vats: Stainless steel thermoregulated and computerized. Fermentation: 45 to 50 days with a final 35°C warm steeping. Winemaking: Malolactic fermentation in new oak barrel. Ageing: 16 months in new French Oak barrels from Allier and Limousin. Annual production: 10,000 bottles. (833 cases)

Review:

"This shows aromas of ripe blackcurrants and blackberries with walnuts, spices and cocoa. Medium-bodied with firm tannins and a bright, succulent character. Racy finish. Drink or hold."

- James Suckling (December 2022), 92 pts

Mordoree Lirac Rouge Reine des Bois equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre

Color : deep dark red, with blueish hints.
Aromas : highly fruity ( raspberry, billberry, blackberry ), floral (violet) and intense with a grilled touch ( coffee ).
Palate : melted and concentrated tannins, full bodied, very long fresh finish.
Ageing potential : 8 to 10 years

Grilled meats, sauce meats, game birds, game rabbits and semi-mature cheeses.

Review:

"This Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre blend grows on 40-year-old vines among the galets roulés – large stone pebbles, on sand and clay soils. While 10% is fermented in used casks, 90% of the wine goes in stainless steel. It’s a garden of heather and sage, with chocolate mint and salted, cured meats and anise. Its prowess shows in its red fruit aromas, its elegant mouthfeel, and freshness on the palate."

- The Tasting Panel (January/February 2022), 95 pts

"Stunningly fresh and pure forest-berry and herb aromas pour from the glass of this rich, yet beautifully proportioned Lirac. Beautiful integration of tannin, fruit and alcohol on the full yet silky and fresh palate. Long, velvety finish that pulls you back for more. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold."

- James Suckling (February 2022), 94 pts

Cabrieres Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge L'Esprit  is made from 50% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault and 10% remaining: Muscardin, Counoise, Picpoul, Terret noir, Vaccarèse, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Picardan.

The vineyard is situated on the high tablelands, which are characteristic of the northern area of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The terrain consists mainly of alpine diluvium and chalky Miocenian soil, with large flint pebbles covering the surface. These pebbles conserve the heat of the day during the night, thus avoiding too much evaporation.

85-year-old vines. Aged 12 months in French oak. Intense ruby color, with a dominant nose of black fruits (blackcurrant and blackberry) evolving into smoke and grilled notes. Robust tannins on the palate with a long finish.

Pair with choice red meat, prime rib and game, or try with strong cheeses and chocolate dessert.

Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Vaccarèse and Muscardin, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from old vines located in and around Le Crau. The Grenache is aged in concrete for 12 months while the remainder is aged in demi-muid.

Review:

Delas Freres Cote Rotie La Landonne Rouge is made from 100 percent Syrah.

Tasting Notes: The wine‘s deep color is underscored by plummy hues. A complex nose shows deep, fruity aromas with hints of licorice and roasted coffee. Endowed with a dense and silky tannic structure, this is a full, fleshy wine that provides an ample and generous palate. Its lasting finish speaks of considerable ageing potential.

Reviews:

Deep in color, the espresso, licorice, smoke and flint, paired with layers of juicy, ripe fresh, red fruits show up with ease. On the palate, the wine offers richness, density, purity of fruit, herbs, crushed stones and a wall of ripe, lushly textured, dark red berries. This will age quite nicely.T

-Wine Cellar Insider 97 Points

Sun-baked garrigue and smoky notes of iron and earth accent intensely ripe black cherry and cassis in this wine. Made from 100% Syrah, it's a hulking powerhouse of black-fruit flavors but finessed by firm acidity and fine, integrated tannins. Stunning already it should improve through 2036 and hold further 

-Wine Enthusiast 97 Points

Bright purple. Powerful cherry, cassis, potpourri, exotic spice and olive qualities on the highly perfumed, complex nose. Sweet and energetic on the palate, offering impressively concentrated black and blue fruit preserve, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that unfold steadily with aeration. In a powerful but energetic style and quite primary now. Aeration brings up smoky bacon and floral pastille qualities that carry through the strikingly long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves behind sweet dark and floral notes.

-Vinous 95 Points

Alluring, with warm fruitcake and black tea aromatics leading off for a lush and warm core of crushed plum, cherry reduction and blackberry pâte de fruit flavors. Despite the showy fruit detail, there's a solid iron underpinning, with pretty floral notes and bright energy throughout. Best from 2023 through 2038. 300 cases made, 188 cases imported. 

 -Wine Spectator 96 Points

The aging is as Mounir ages his Burgundies: extremely long, never racked, no fining, no filtration. It would be easy to say that we expected the experience running one of Burgundy’s leading producers, Lucien Le Moine, would show in Mounir’s wines. But the actual results need to be tasted to be believed and understood: a wine with beguiling fruit and savory richness, yet extraordinary finesse and detail.

Mounir Saouma likes to describe Châteauneuf-du-Pape as a mosaic, with all the wild traditions and differences together making for very different interpretations. Omnia, Latin for “all,” is his attempt to encompass the entire region’s terroir and winemaking history (and perhaps future) in one glass. The fruit comes from 9 vineyard parcels across all 5 of the Châteauneuf communes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Courthezon, Sorgues, Bedarrides and Orange (in early vintages, when the Saoumas did not have all the vineyards they have today, they would purchase fruit; today, Rotem & Mounir Saouma is 100% Estate). The wine is then vinified and aged in foudres, cement and 500 liter barrels – a little bit of everything.

2019 was another warm and dry vintage in the southern Rhône, marked by insistent drought and repeated heat waves during the season. With little disease pressure or frost, the crop was close to normal size, but bunch and berry-size was reduced during the growing season by the lack of water. The grapes were thus concentrated and rich in sugar and acidity, although potential alcohol levels were often quite high. Vineyards at higher elevations – Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas in particular — handled the heat better, and the wines from those AOPs are rich yet also remarkably fresh and energetic. Despite the initial concerns about the growing season, 2019 looks to be a watershed vintage in the Southern Rhône, producing rich wines with exceptional concentration and aging potential

Inviting aromas of sliced strawberries, red cherries and rose. Full-bodied with vibrant acidity and succulent fruit. Fine, structured tannins are vertically aligned with the fruit. More dark-fruited than the nose lets on and entirely delicious. I love the subtle spice here.

-James Suckling 94 Points

Very refined, with silky and fine-grained structure carrying alluring bergamot, rooibos tea, incense, dried cherry and lightly mulled raspberry notes along. A long sanguine thread weaves through the finish. Hard to resist now with so much charm, but this will benefit from cellaring. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. 

-Wine Spectator 94 Points

Domaine Nico le Paradis Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

The cool climate vineyard that belongs to Laura and her sister Adrianna Catena feels like paradise itself to Laura. It is lined by trees and fruit orchards, with majestic views of the Andes. Inside the 12 Hectare vineyard, there is a little house with two tiny bedrooms and a kitchen, where Laura dreams of spending a whole month reading books-Laura's version of paradise. The little house is affectionately named Chateau Laura. About the Vineyard The tiny parcel where Le Paradis is grown was planted in 2011 with Dijon 667 Clones over two acres. Wine Production The grapes from this small parcel were elaborated in 15 separate microvinifications.

All the microvinifications were fermented with indigenous yeast. 20% of the microvinifications were fermented with 100% whole clusters in oak roll-fermentor of 600L and low temp (22 Celcius degrees). 40% were fermented with 20% whole cluster in small vats of 800L and 40% fermented in small vats of 800L without sulfites until 4%V/V of alcohol.

Review:

From soils rich in calcium carbonate and sand, in a vineyard 1,600 meters above sea level, this wine comes from a selection of 2.7 hectares that produced very little fruit in 2016, just barely enough to fill 800 bottles. But watch out for this white, with its edge, its minerality, those saline notes that are so characteristic of chardonnay from the chalky Gualtallary soils. The wine was aged for a year in used barrels, and it has some of the toast, but here it’s the deep minerality that dominates.

Patricio Tapia - Descorchados 96 Points

La Despensa Boutique Cinsault is made from 100% Cinsault.

A genuinely unique wine - they are the only producers of Cinsault in Colchagua! From a new vineyard planted in 2017, the team at La Despensa thinks they’ve hit the jackpot with this variety in this valley. Much more structure, color and intensity than the typical Chilean Cinsaults from further south, this is an easy drinking but serious version of this wonderfully fruity variety!

Review:

"Apparently the first and only Cinsault from Colchagua, the 2021 Boutique Cinsault was produced with vines planted in 2017 and worked organically (but is not certified), and it's much darker and more structured than the examples from the south. It fermented in concrete with selected yeasts and went through malolactic in stainless steel and then 60% of the volume matured in used barriques for six months. It has 13.5% alcohol and kept good freshness, and it's varietal, balanced and easy to drink but not banal. 1,200 bottles were filled in March 2022. - Luis Gutiérrez"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (April 2023), 91 pts

Landes Caprices d'Anais Rose is made from 50% Merlot + 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

This cuvée was created in 2005 to honor Nicolas's first daughter Anais. Caprice d'Anais means "Anais' Whim".

Color: Pale pink with salmon hues. 
Aromas: quite aromatic nose dominated with floral (linden and elderberry) and fruity (cherry, strawberry and raspberry) notes. 
Flavors: Quite similar to the aromas, with red fruit and floral flavors. The wine is easy to drink with a good fresh and zesty finish.

Great on its own during summer time, it will also pair very well with grilled salmon, salads, roasted chicken or any white meat dish.

Landes Cuvee Tradition Lussac Saint Emilion (half-bottle)is made from 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc

Color: deep ruby intense color.
Aroma: racy and aromatic nose with aromas of ripe red fruit.
Taste: this wine is silky, round and smooth first taste, with aromas of raspberries, and blackcurrant, powerful and complex finish.

Le Blanc du Chateau des Landes Bordeaux Blanc  is made from 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillion.

Le Blanc du Chateau des Landes Bordeaux Blanc is a very fruity style of Bordeaux Blanc AOC. It has great aromatic intensity with white peach and citrus aromas. 

No oak for this wine. The wine was aged on the lees for a few month in stainless steel tank.
Malolactic fermentation was completed as well in the process .

Excellent as an aperitif, it also goes very well with poultry and salads.  If you have a chance to have access to fresh oyters, it is a great match as well.

The first vintage of this wine was made in 2018 as Nicolas Lassagne wanted to create an easy drinking wine that will be perfect as an aperitif in the summer time or to compliment salads and seafood in the winter time. 

Cabrieres Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge Les Silex  is made from 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah .

The vineyard is situated on the high tablelands, which are characteristic of the northern area of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The terrain consists mainly of alpine diluvium and chalky Miocenian soil, with large flint pebbles covering the surface. These pebbles conserve the heat of the day during the night, thus avoiding too much evaporation.

This 2016 has opened up and is drinking great right now. A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. Elegant cherry red color, with expressive notes of red fruits (strawberry and raspberry). Mellow tannins, well-balanced on the palate. I feel I need to point out the freshness, it is bright and lively on the palate, something we don’t see a lot of in this region. This also makes it extremely food friendly as it can hold up to fatty proteins.

Very good with white meat, red meat, charcuterie and cheese.

Review:

"Shimmering ruby-red. A complex, expansive bouquet evokes spice-accented red fruit liqueur, potpourri and garrigue, and a smoky mineral nuance builds in the glass. Appealingly sweet raspberry, cherry cola and lavender flavors smoothly blend richness and energy. The spice and mineral notes drive an impressively long, focused finish framed by supple, well-knit tannins. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (October 2021), 94 pts

Grand Veneur Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from 50% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah

Matured in concrete vats (40%) and oak casks (60%)

It boasts an inky/purple color in addition to a gorgeous perfume of crushed rocks, jammy black fruits, charcoal and graphite. Blackberry aroma with an air of dates pressed in alongside – this is sweet-noted. It is easy to appreciate, a sleek and stylish start. The palate holds excellent fruit that runs well and has kick. Its tannins move round freely and a minted finale comes forward. Its dark fruit is tasty, darkens on the finish, where tar and char from its oak enter. It is all very much together, a bundle of harmony, and will gain local attributes as it ages.

An outstanding Chateauneuf du Pape which display the best of its terroir.
The vines are 50 to 100+ year old. They are planted on red clay soils covered with pebble stones.
Harvest is destemmed and crushed. Fermentation temperature is controlled at 30°C. Vatting period of 18 to 20 days. Matured in concrete vats (40%) and oak casks (60%).

The vines are 50 to 100+ year old. They are planted on red clay soils covered with pebble stones.

Harvest is destemmed and crushed. Fermentation temperature is controlled at 30°C. Vatting period of 18 to 20 days. Matured in concrete vats (40%) and oak casks (60%).

The vineyards are located in the north of Châteauneuf du Pape. GRAND VENEUR «Vieilles Vignes» cuvee is produced from the older vines. Thanks to time and an organic growing, roots go very deep in the soil. Yields are naturally low and grapes highly concentrated.

Winemaking and aging

Pair with venisson, duck, braised lamb or strong cheese.

Review:

"The 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is even more powerful, with a dense purple color as well as serious notes of blackberries, currants, ground pepper, graphite, chocolate, and violets. I love its mid-palate density, it's medium to full-bodied, has building tannins, and a great finish. It's going to need short-term cellaring, but it’s one heck of an impressive 2021."

- Jeb Dunnuck (November 2021),94-96 pts

Super-concentrated and mineral. Release always trails the regular Sancerre Blanc by a year so it has extra time in both tank and bottle.

An understated charm on the nose, revealing elegant aromas of yellow fruits like apricot and mirabelle plum, along with hints of anise and marzipan. A touch of green pepper adds a light and airy quality. On the palate, it offers a crisp and delightful experience, with flavors of plum and orange wedge, culminating in a chalky, saline finish.

VINEYARDS: The vineyards are planted in Terroir of Kimmeridgian marls (calcareous clay with encrustation of oyster and mussel fossils) from the Jurassic time. Trellised vines are averaged around 30 years old and have a planting density of 8000 vines/ha. Tillage takes place in the rows until the bud burst, the rest of the year to natural grass covers. The Côte des Monts Damnés is located in Chavignol. Steep hillsides (declivity up to 70%), facing south, with an altitude that ranges from 650 to 980 feet.

VINTAGE: The grapes matured in cooler temperatures than in recent years, so the 2021 vintage is in line with other vintages that conform to the temperate climate of the Centre-Loire wine region.

VINIFICATION AND MATURATION: The grapes were handpicked and had a light cold static settling to eliminate the coarsest lees. Fermentation and aging took place in stainless steel tanks (88%) and 10 years old wooden vats (12%). After, the wine was aged on fine fermentation lees for 9 months.

Morlet Family Vineyards Coeur De Vallee Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon & 25% Cabernet Franc.

Propietary Name Cœur de Vallée

Name Meaning Heart of the Valley 

Type of wine Vineyard designated

Appellation Oakville, Napa Valley

Vineyard singularity Morlet Family ‘Cœur de Vallée’ Vineyard Bale soils, loamy topsoil on loamy & clay-loamy subsoils

Typical harvest date October Picking Manual, small lugs, refer truck

Sorting Cluster by cluster, berry per berry Fermentation Through native yeast. Punch downs Tank and Puncheons

Upbringing 16 months French oak from artisan coopers Bottling Unfiltered

Cellaring time 10+ years Serving Room temperature Decanting recommended

Winemaker notes:

Located in the world-renowned Oakville appellation, in the heart of the Napa Valley, our Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc vines benefit from the gravelly and loamy Bale soil derived from an alluvial fan in this warm yet temperate climate. Handcrafted using classical winemaking techniques, this wine is dedicated to Dr. Richard Johnson and Dr. Nancy Hampel who have always demonstrated their kindness of heart. It is ‘Heart of the Valley’ or ‘Cœur de Vallée.’

Deep garnet-purple in color, the ‘Cœur de Vallée’ is characterized by a striking bouquet of lavender and violets over a core of sweet red berries, crème de cassis, Chambord liqueur, blackcurrants and licorice, and com­pelling notes of mocha, espresso, chocolate and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied with an impressive fine-grained texture, this powerful yet refined Cabernet Sauvignon is expressive from start to finish, boasting a background freshness that supports the intense black fruit layers. The wine displays an extraordinary concentration, richness, fi­nesse and purity while possessing silky and polished tan­nins leading to an elegant lift on the long, lush finish. Featuring the interaction of the clayish yet well-draining gravelly volcanic soil, the site’s microclimates and the low-interventionistic Morlet winemaking approach, the stunning ‘Cœur de Vallée’ ages gracefully for decades.

Review:

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallée comes all from Beckstoffer’s portion of the To Kalon Vineyard and it’s a thrill a minute, offering awesome notes of blue fruits, chocolate, incense, candied violets, and high-class cigar tobacco. As seamless and elegant as they come, yet also opulent and sexy, this remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon could come from nowhere else in the world. Drink it over the coming 2-3 decades.

-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points

This is the last vintage when this wine will come exclusively from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon vineyard. In the future it will come (more and more) from Morlet’s own new vineyard in Oakville—just across from To Kalon. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee has a very deep purple-black color and reveals compelling notes of minted blackcurrants, black cherries and wild blueberries with touches of sage, cigar box, tilled black soil and Indian spices with a suggestion of cardamom. Full-bodied and laden with densely packed, muscular fruit, it has a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long with those To Kalon spices lingering with fantastic persistence. 250 cases produced, to be released in the fall of 2019.

-Wine Advocate 97 Points

Xavier Vignon Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge is made from 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah.

A clear and very expressive nose with notes of black fruits, spices and licorice. The mouth reveals tanins that are already supple with a great balance.
The finish is long, on black fruits, licorice and a slight salinity.

Xavier Vignon Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge is made from grilled rib of beef, roasted duck with figs, boar stew.

Review:

"Starting off the 2019s, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape (75% Grenache and the rest Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Clairette) was partially destemmed and brought up in a mix of foudre, demi-muids, amphora, and stainless steel. It’s a rock-solid effort and has lots of mulled black cherry and plum fruits, notes of licorice and peppery garrigue, full-bodied richness, and a rounded, beautifully textured style on the palate. I’m a fan and it’s going to evolve gracefully for over a decade."

- Jeb Dunnuck (October 2020), 91-93 pts