CLOS SAINT JEAN
LVT 2017 r 2017 wh A domaine that always delivers full wines with genuine character. Since 2003, the wine style has been markedly changed at this previously traditional estate, the year when they hired oenologue Philippe Cambie, who favours rich, savoury wines with very ripe tannins. The grapes are picked later and more fully ripe than before. Fruit bomb syndrome hovers like a Flying Cigar. Destemming and more cellar work during vinification has been undertaken. Vatting time without the stalks has risen from 25 days to 35-38 days. The aim has been to soften the wines and allow earlier drinking.
The Tradition remains generally well-filled, and is the most accessible of the three reds. In 2014, it was the only cuvée made, and drinkers are rewarded with a hightly tasty, juicy **** wine, so look out for that. The 2017 Tradition was also a commendable **** STGT wine in a vintage-dominated year. Of the two Prestige wines, which are based on 1905 Grenache planted by greatgrandfather Edmons, who was a tailor at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Combe des Fous is more local and opens earlier than the Deus ex Machina, which is robust, smoky wine supported by 40% Mourvèdre; both were **** wines in 2015, and ***** wines in 2016. There is also a new oak raised 100% Grenache Châteauneuf red called Sanctus Sanctorum, with 800 magnums every year, half of them going to the USA. All the wines here benefit from being drunk from four to five years on – they are thorough and need time. A frisky vin de pays red and a solid white Châteauneuf (the 2015 a **** STGT wine), with a red Côtes du Rhône that is mostly sold the Netherlands complete the picture. The quantity bottled on the Tradition cuvée has risen from 37,000 in 2005 to 100,000 in the 2007 vintage. The rest of the wine is sold in bulk.
Vincent son Hugo & brother Pascal, son Valentin 18 avenue Général de Gaulle BP41 84230 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tel: +33(0)490 83 58 00
http://www.closstjean.fr
contact@closstjean.fr
Countries exported to:1) USA 2) Northern Europe 3) Asia – Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia
Percentage Exported: 98%
British Importers: Gauntley Wines 4 High Street Exchange Arcade Nottingham NG1 2ET Anthony Byrne Fine Wines, Cambridge +441487 814 555
USA Importers: Weygandt-Metzler Importing Ltd, PO Box 56, Unionville PA 19375, www.weygandtmetzler.com
Quotes
“We have a new quality of wine since 2003 – it`s fresher, more full, has better colour, and overall there is a better link between terroir and wine.”
Vincent Maurel
“Our wines are now more concentrated, a lot more supple and are agreeable to drink young.”
Pascal Maurel
“Of our two Prestige wines, La Combe des Fous is the supple, feminine wine, and the Deus ex Machina is the robust, more hearty wine. For the 2007 Deus, I think I would wait 8 years, and it is a good idea to decant it.””
Vincent Maurel
“In 2008, you needed a strategy – you had to wait a very long time. We brought in grapes at 15.5°, just as we did in 2004 and 2006. We were one of the last domaines to finish picking, around the 25 September. There were worries with the Mourvèdre, so we may not make a Deus ex Machina – there wasn`t the usual density. We will do a Combe des Fous.”
Vincent Maurel
“For me, Châteauneuf-du-Papes are best to drink from their seventh year when the vintage has been a good one. They will have plenty of force and well integrated elements by then. If you want more aromatics, go for the fourth to fifth year.”
Vincent Maurel
“Vaccarèse I associate with giving an air of flowers on the bouquet; there are only maybe 10 plots of it across the appellation.”
Pascal Maurel
“During the oil crisis of 1973-74, we were getting 4 Francs for the litre of our Châteauneuf-du-Pape – 1,000 Francs for the cask of 228 litres. Even in 1990, the cask was only 2,200 Francs, still cheap. Prices started to rise at the end of 1998; I sold some Châteauneuf to Sainsbury’s supermarket for 30 Francs the bottle – I made a label for them.”
Vincent Maurel
“You should never place Grenache in 228-litre oak casks – that’s a bad ratio between wine and oak, which damages freshness, which is why we use concrete vat, with new-1-2-3 year oak for the rest of the wine.”
Vincent Maurel
“I like 2017 a lot; there was cold weather during flowering, with hail and persistent drought. The small crop size saved the harvest – there would have been hydric-drought stress if the harvest had been normal in size. It makes me think of 2009 – freshness and gourmandise all together.”
Vincent Maurel
“Great grandfather Edmond was a tailor at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and sought vines to plant. In those days, La Crau was so full of galet stones that it was possible for your horse to break a leg. He planted his vineyard in 1905, and for the above reason, it was called des Fous – of the madmen”.
Vincent Maurel