Wine Advisor
Clos St Jean, Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
A wine that blew me away, and the best bottle of this I've tasted, the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Combe des Fous gave up exotic and intense aromas and flavors of ground pepper, kirsch liqueur, incense, white chocolate and crushed flowers. About as seamless and sexy as they come, this extraordinary Chateauneuf boasts incredible concentration, no hard edges and insane length on the finish. Much more forward and open than the 2010, drink it over the coming 10 to 15 years. Since taking control of the estate in 2002, and bringing on board rock star consultant Philippe Cambie, the Maurel brothers has been knocking it out of the park in literally every vintage. 2004? Gorgeous wines and easily at the top in a recent retrospective. The cooler, rainy 2008? Beautiful ripeness and texture, and again, at the top of the hierarchy. 2011 is the same story, and it’s amazing what this team has accomplished in all of their vintages. Looking at this retrospective, we went through all of their cuvees going back to 2003. Unfortunately, there’s no new information here, and this tasting simply confirmed what myself and Robert Parker have been saying for some time now; Clos Saint Jean is at the top of their game and producing some of the most singular, hedonistic and brilliant wines in the world. Starting out with the classic Chateauneuf du Pape, it’s normally a blend of 75% Grenache, with the balance a mix of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Muscardin and Vaccarese. As is common at this estate, the Grenache is aged all in tank, and the other varieties in a mix of tank and barrels. While I think this cuvee always lags the Vieilles Vignes bottling, it is consistently outstanding and always a super value. Moving to the old vine cuvee, this is made especially for the US Market and is 85% tank aged, old vine Grenache, and the balance Syrah and Mourvedre. It too almost always represents a crazy value and has a broad drink window. I’m currently finishing up a case of the ’08, and purchased two cases of the 2010, which is just starting to open back up after closing down shortly after release. As to the Combe des Fous release, this cuvée comes from a single plot of vines and is based largely on Grenache, with roughly 20% Syrah and 10% each of Vaccarese and Cinsault in the blend. The Grenache is aged all in tank and the other components see time in mostly demi-muids. While the Deux ex Machina always impresses more with its overt power and muscle, this cuvee always seems more polished, fine and elegant to me. One of the greatest cuvees on earth, the Maurel brother’s Sanctus Sanctorum is 100% Grenache that comes from a single plot of vines in the La Crau lieu dit. Aged all in demi-muid, it’s been one of the greatest wines I’ve ever tasted, every time I’ve tasted it. All three of these were sheer perfection on this occasion, yet each has its own unique profile. Lastly, and always the most powerful of the cuvees, the Deus Ex Machina is a blend of 60% tank aged Grenache and 40% demi-muid aged Mourvedre that all comes from 70-100 year old vines. The Mourvedre component is really what defines this cuvee, and it possesses the most obvious structure and mid-palate richness in the lineup. Seeming to hit maturity around age 10 or so, it can be consumed relatively early in its life due to its wealth of fruit, texture, and incredibly polished tannin. In addition, don’t miss this cuvee in the lighter vintages, as even their 2004 and 2008 show classic character and no shortage of richness. Importers: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous (which essentially translates into the “swale of fools”) is produced from 13 hectares of vines situated primarily in La Crau. It is an interesting blend of 60% Grenache, as much as 15-20% Vaccarese, lots of Cinsault and some Syrah. Tasting the 2009 made me think it is more in the style of the virtually perfect 2005 than the other perfect cuvee, the 2007, which is a bolder, more flamboyant, fleshier, exuberant style of wine. The inky/purple-colored 2009 reveals glorious aromas of spring flowers, raspberries, blackberries, white chocolate, truffles and garrigue. The extraordinary perfume is followed by a sensationally concentrated, full-bodied wine with magnificent texture, structure, purity and equilibrium. It is another brilliant wine that should drink well for 20+ years. (Not yet released) Pascal and Vincent Maurel appear to have achieved great success in both 2008 and 2009 (and don’t forget they produced three perfect wines in 2007). To say they are on a qualitative hot streak is the understatement of the wine world. This is a large estate of over 100 acres with extensive holdings in some of the finest sectors of Chateauneuf du Pape, especially in La Crau and high on the plateau north of the village. The Maurels had the foresight to bring in the gifted consultant, Philippe Cambie, when they took over in 2002 after their father’s passing. 2002 was the worst year in Chateauneuf du Pape since 1932 because of the historic flooding that region experienced. Clos Saint-Jean’s first successes were from 2003 when they produced some of the best wines of the vintage. They have followed those successes with wines that are in the top 10-12 Chateauneufs of the vintage every year – no easy task given the young generation that is pushing the qualitative envelope further and further with each new vintage. Everything is made with extraordinary attention to detail and a new winery has been built on the lower slopes of the village, behind Clos du Mont Olivet and Vieux Donjon. They now have the capacity to control temperature and have more space than they did in their old facility at the entrance to the village. A caveat about my comments on the 2009s. These wines had still not completely finished fermentation at the time of my visit. They were under 3 grams per liter of residual sugar, so in that sense they were essentially dry, but they possessed some CO2. That being said, there is no doubt that Clos Saint-Jean has probably produced the wines of the vintage across the board in 2009. Yields were preposterously low with many of the parcels coming in at 15 hectoliters per hectare or less, which works out to about one ton of fruit per acre – financial suicide! This estate can produce as many as five cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape in great vintages. Kudos to Pascal and Vincent Maurel as well as their brilliant consultant, Philippe Cambie. Importers: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565 and Paul M. Young, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (323) 222-2003
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
More restrained as well as less intense and powerful, the dense purple-hued 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous offers elegant kirsch notes. While it is not quite up to the level of the 2005, 2007 or 2010, it is a rich, well proportioned effort offering notes of pen ink, raspberries, blueberries, sweet cherries and spring flowers. Full-bodied as well as polished and focused (especially for a 2009), it should drink nicely for 15-20 years. If a prize were given to the Rhone Valley estate that had improved the most in the shortest period of time, it would undoubtedly go to that of Pascal and Vincent Maurel, who took over Clos Saint-Jean after their father passed away in 2002. Since then, they have made a succession of world-class wines that are out of this world. One of the largest estates in Chateauneuf du Pape, Clos Saint-Jean has an amazing number of old vine parcels in its 112+ acres (significant holdings in La Crau, in the eastern part of the appellation). No doubt the hiring of renowned oenologist Philippe Cambie has also increased the quality of these offerings. The 2010 Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf du Papes are phenomenal wines. The Maurel brothers believe they are as profound as the 2007s, and it is hard to disagree. Production is down considerably because of the loss of 25-30% of the Grenache crop due to poor flowering, but the levels of concentration, freshness and focus of these wines are remarkable. Moreover, the 2009s from bottle performed at the upper end of the ranges I had given them last year – always a sign of a terrific winery dedicated to high quality. Importers: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565 and Paul M. Young, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (323) 222-2003
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
This bottle of the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape la Combe des Fous seemed to be in a weird place. While it still has great color, the flavors have advanced into a savory combination of roasted meat and mushrooms. It's full-bodied and plush, with caramel overtones that linger on the finish. Contrasting this performance with the Deus Ex Machina tasted immediately afterward makes me wonder if this was a good bottle.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Full ruby. An exotic, highly perfumed bouquet evokes red and dark berry preserves, star anise and a whiff of Grand Marnier. Juicy, palate-coating raspberry and boysenberry flavors show a felicitous blend of power and vivacity, with no rough edges and slow-building spiciness. Closes on a sweet note, with lingering anise and floral notes.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Deep ruby. High-pitched, floral-accented aromas of redcurrant, cherry skin, licorice and garrigue Enters sweet and sappy, but tangy acidity and a peppery elements give precision to its deep red and dark berry flavors. Really stains the palate, finishing with repeating notes of spices and candied flowers.
About the Producer
Clos Saint Jean is a family estate founded in 1900 by Edmund Tacussel. In 1910 he started to bottle wines with the name Clos Saint Jean. Since 1991 when the owner Guy Maurel died his two sons Pascal and Vincent have carried on at the property. The oenologist Philippe Gambie has since 2003 been assisting at the estate and something has happened: two-three famous special cuvées have merged and all the production became bottled at the domain.
