2016 | Domaine de la Charbonnière | Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes

Dark, winey and alluring, this delivers an intense beam of fig, boysenberry and blackberry paste flavors, inlaid with licorice snap, singed spice and warm fruitcake notes. The long finish is well-structured, letting the fruit play out against a graphite backdrop.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Turning to the darker side of the fruit spectrum, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes veers toward black cherries, cola and spice. It's full-bodied, rich and velvety, but it takes a different tack than the more open and charming Les Hautes Brusquières bottling. It should drink well for close to two decades. They're the twins you might've fantasized about, one bright and bubbly, the other brooding and mysterious. And you can have both.

• James Suckling: Wild, dark berries, spicy and meaty complexity, plenty of crushed violets and an earthy edge. This is a young, frisky Châteauneuf, backed by old-vine swagger. The palate has an immensely strong core of essence-like, black-fruit flavors, top-quality tannins and superior depth.

Producer Information

Domaine de la Charbonnière is a family-owned wine estate situated just northeast of the town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, particularly known for its Grenache-based red wines from that appellation. Current owners, the Maret family, trace their association with the property back to 1912, when Eugene Maret bought the estate as a gift for his wife. Michel Maret, who took over in 1973, gave the domaine its current name, reflecting its location an area formerly used for charcoal burning. His daughter Véronique Maret assumed full control of winemaking in 2012. The estate farms 19 hectares (47 acres) of small but well-sited vineyard parcels scattered throughout Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are also nearly six hectares (14 acres) in Vacqueyras and two hectares (five acres) of vines in the Côtes du Rhône and IGP vineyard zones. Since 2015, all of Domaine de la Charbonnière's wines have been certified organic. There are several different red Châteaneuf-du-Pape cuvées in the portfolio. The standard release combines 70 percent Grenache with equal parts of Syrah and Mourvèdre. Charbonnière makes around 4000 cases of this wine a year, which makes up the bulk of the domaine's Châteauneuf-du-Pape production. Other labels include Mourre des Perdrix (combining Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah with some Cinsault) which comes from a specific lieu-dit within Châteauneuf-du-Pape; while Hautes Brusquières is a 60:40 combination of Grenache and Syrah – sometimes with a dash of Counoise – from the Brusquières plateau. The domaine also produces a Vieilles Vignes label – a Grenache-dominated blend with a small amount of Mourvèdre, primarily from the La Crau vineyard site. Finally, l'Envol is a Mourvèdre-based blend. Only a few hundred cases a year are made of each of these cuvées. Domaine de la Charbonnière makes a small amount of white Châteauneuf-du-Pape from a blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Clairette. The grapes are primarily fermented in stainless steel with a small portion in new wood. A single Vacqueyras release (generally around 60 percent Grenache and 40 percent Syrah) as well as red and rosé Côtes du Rhône wines (also a Grenache – Syrah combination) complete the portfolio.

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