Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous 2019

  • 100 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Vinous
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Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous 2019  Front Bottle Shot
Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous 2019  Front Bottle Shot Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous 2019  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2019

Size
750ML

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Combe des Fous literally means, the hill of the fool. The hill, in this case, is located in the far southern reach of Le Crau which was left barren for many centuries because the layer of galets was so exceedingly deep that everyone assumed vines could never survive there. The fool in this situation is Edmund Tacussel, the great-great-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal Maruel who planted a Grenache vineyard on this site in 1905. That old-vine Grenache forms the heart of this cuvée with a small amount of Syrah, Cinsault and Vaccarèse.

Professional Ratings

  • 100

    Starting off a trio of truly magical wines, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Combe Des Fous checks in as 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and the rest Vaccarèse and Cinsault raised in tank and demi-muids. Sensationally pure cassis and blackberry fruits as well as complex notes of lavender, Provençal garrigue, ground pepper, and flowers all define this full-bodied 2019, which displays the vintage’s ripe, perfumed style while bringing more finesse, elegant, and purity than just about every other wine out there. It’s the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted and has another 15-20 years of prime drinking ahead of it.

  • 96

    Plummy and chocolaty yet remarkably vibrant, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous comes across as richer and more powerful than the 2018. I'm not sure that's a good thing in this cuvée, as it's full-bodied, dense and a bit chunky at the moment—certainly enormously impressive, but without the elegance of the previous vintage. It will be interesting to see how it compares once it's in the bottle.

    Barrel Sample: 94-96

  • 96

    Really enticing, with succulent cherry and raspberry paste flavors taking the lead. Backed by anise, fruitcake and floral notes, this is dense but has inner brightness, as savory and iron details emerge through the finish. Lovely mouthfeel throughout. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Vaccarèse.

  • 96

    The 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous has the edge over the 2020. The hauntingly fragrant aromatics pull you in with crème de cassis, dark cherry liqueur, raspberry and strawberry compote, licorice, iodine, graphite, incense, forest floor, mint and tobacco. This 2019 makes you smile just by smelling it. Full-bodied and broad-shouldered, it is wrapped in an intricate web of plush tannins and perfectly balanced by lively acidity. This is a majestic La Combe des Fous with absolutely no hard edges.

Other Vintages

2020
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 Vinous
2018
  • 98 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
2017
  • 97 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
2015
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
2012
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
2011
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Wine
    Spectator
2010
  • 98 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
2009
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
2008
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
2007
  • 100 Robert
    Parker
2005
  • 100 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
Clos Saint Jean

Clos Saint Jean

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Clos Saint Jean, France
Clos Saint-Jean  Winery Image

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 great-great-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 various vineyards of Clos Saint Jean are located primarily in the region of Le Crau. This plateau is perhaps the most iconic of the many terroirs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, iron-rich red clays topped with galets. While about 60% of their vineyards are located here, specifically in the lieu-dits of Côteau de Saint Jean and Cabane de Saint-Jean, another 40% are located in alluvial clay and sandy soils adjacent to the plateau. They also own a small parcel of Mourvedre in the lieu-dit of Bois-Dauphin near Château Rayas planted on sandy, limestone-rich soils.

The farming at Clos Saint Jean is fully sustainable due to the warm and dry climate which obviates the need for chemical inputs. Vincent and Pascal employ organic methods for pest control, mainly pheromones to prevent pests from taking up Le Crau with Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the horizon.

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With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.

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Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.

According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.

Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.

The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.

IPOPI_EC6258_2019 Item# 764965

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