Clos des Brusquières
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend
Vivid ruby-red. Highly perfumed red and dark berry liqueur, incense and Asian spice aromas show excellent clarity and pick up a suave floral nuance with air. Supple, open-knit and juicy on the palate, offering deeply concentrated black raspberry, cherry cola and floral pastille flavors and an exotic touch of five-spice powder. The floral quality repeats strongly on a smooth, impressively persistent finish that shows just a hint of supple, fine-grained tannins. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, December 2019)
Vivid ruby-red. Highly perfumed red and dark berry liqueur, incense and Asian spice aromas show excellent clarity and pick up a suave floral nuance with air. Supple, open-knit and juicy on the palate, offering deeply concentrated black raspberry, cherry cola and floral pastille flavors and an exotic touch of five-spice powder. The floral quality repeats strongly on a smooth, impressively persistent finish that shows just a hint of supple, fine-grained tannins. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, December 2019)
Nice bottle that really improved after several hours of decanting. After one hour it was fine, a nice accompaniment to prime rib, but didn’t wow. After four hours—nice! Tannins and acids still there but restrained, with fruit and minerals coming to the fore. Enjoyed the 2016 vintage at Christmas Eve dinner 2023. Merry Christmas!
Nice bottle that really improved after several hours of decanting. After one hour it was fine, a nice accompaniment to prime rib, but didn’t wow. After four hours—nice! Tannins and acids still there but restrained, with fruit and minerals coming to the fore. Enjoyed the 2016 vintage at Christmas Eve dinner 2023. Merry Christmas!
Dec 25th, 20232016: 8.9-9.0. Solid enough CDP, purple fruit with moderate concentration but lacking the backbone and complexity of the storied producers. Had some port-like thickness the next day which portends potential but more lively alternatives in a good year. $45 at WL,
2016: 8.9-9.0. Solid enough CDP, purple fruit with moderate concentration but lacking the backbone and complexity of the storied producers. Had some port-like thickness the next day which portends potential but more lively alternatives in a good year. $45 at WL,
May 22nd, 2023Really good Chateauneuf-du-Pape, word is that 2016 is a legendary vintage and trying this I would say I’ve never experienced such a young wine of this varietal with so much depth and complexity. Great nose, really smooth on the palate and loads of cherry, spice, leather and floral elements with a hint of Pernod style aniseed on the finish. For $45 I think this is outstanding, it has a high alcohol content for French wine so may not be a long termer but it’s great so just enjoy now.
Really good Chateauneuf-du-Pape, word is that 2016 is a legendary vintage and trying this I would say I’ve never experienced such a young wine of this varietal with so much depth and complexity. Great nose, really smooth on the palate and loads of cherry, spice, leather and floral elements with a hint of Pernod style aniseed on the finish. For $45 I think this is outstanding, it has a high alcohol content for French wine so may not be a long termer but it’s great so just enjoy now.
Feb 10th, 2019