Clos St Jean, Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous 2011

vinous93

Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds

Vivid ruby-red. Red berry liqueur and floral pastille aromas are complicated by hints of vanilla, incense and cola. Fleshy, mineral-laced raspberry and blueberry flavors gain sweetness and depth with air, picking up suave notes of lavender and allspice. Finishes silky and extremely long, with resonating spiciness and smooth, harmonious tannins.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds

(made from 60% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% cinsault and 10% vaccarese): Bright ruby. Vibrant raspberry, anise and potpourri aromas pick up a smoky nuance with air. Juicy and sharply delineated, offering sweet red berry preserve and floral pastille flavors, with suave accents of cola and smoky minerals. Attractively sweet and open-knit, with excellent finishing cut and persistence.

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck

Starting with the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Combe des Fous, it's easily one of the wines of the vintage and offers killer creme de cassis, kirsch, spice box, creamy licorice and toasted bread to go with a full-bodied, seamless, elegant and layered profile the palate. While showing the forward, approachable nature of the vintage, it has ample sweet tannin, rock-solid mid-palate concentration and blockbuster length. 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

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Composed of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Vaccarese, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous is a monumental effort in this challenging vintage. A tour de force created from vines over 100 years of age, it boasts a deep purple color along with a big, exotic bouquet of spring flowers, sweet black cherries, blueberries, mulberries and hints of espresso and spicy oak. The tremendous floral component dominate at present. This dense purple-colored, full-bodied Chateauneuf appears to be one of the wines of the vintage. It should age effortlessly for 15 or more years. (Not yet released) Since 2003, when Pascal and Vincent Maurel took over this estate after their father’s passing, Clos Saint-Jean has gone from strength to strength. They have always owned great vineyards, and they had the foresight to hire a brilliant consulting oenologist, Philippe Cambie. The result has been instant stardom, and a succession of world-class wines. Recently they also partnered with the California Central Coast’s renowned Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non to produce another luxury cuvee of Chateauneuf du Pape from mostly Mourvedre called Chimere. A large estate for Chateauneuf du Pape (over 110 acres), Clos Saint-Jean’s history dates back to 1900, with the first Maurel taking control in 1930. The majority of their holdings are in the southeastern sector of the appellation, including significant parcels in La Crau, Les Combes and St.-Jean. In top vintages, Clos Saint-Jean produces five cuvees of red Chateauneuf du Pape, and the 2011s are successful across the board. There will not be a Sanctus Sanctorum in this vintage. Importers: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565 and Paul M. Young, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (323) 222-2003

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck

Boasting incredible aromatics, and a drop-dead gorgeous wine, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Combe des Fous checks in as a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Vaccarese. Exotic and insanely perfumed, with aromas of kirsch, blackberry, exotic pepper, lavender and sandalwood (among other things), this full-bodied beauty hits the palate with brilliant richness and depth, masses of fine tannin and incredible length on the finish. A spectacular effort that transcends the vintage, it will thrill for 15 years or more. Don’t miss it! Drink 2014-2026. Always one of the highlight visits during my time spent working in the Southern Rhone, Clos Saint-Jean, which includes over 100 acres of prime terroir in Chateauneuf du Pape (mostly in the south), is run by brothers Pascal and Vincent Maurel, with consulting help from the incredibly talented Philippe Cambie. Releasing 5 Chateauneufs in top vintages, they also pair up with Manfred Krankl, of Sine Qua Non in California’s Santa Barbara County, and release another high-end cuvee call Chimere. While the winemaking here is often labeled as modern, it is actually relatively traditional, with the Grenache almost always aged in tank and only the Mourvedre and Syrah seeing time in larger, 500-600 liter oak barrels, or demi-muids. In addition, the cuvees may also include small amounts of whole-cluster fermentation. Regardless of how you classify it, the results speak for themselves and there are few wines in the world I’d rather drink. Importers: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565 and Paul M. Young, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (323) 222-2003