1999 Clos du Mont-Olivet, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, Cuvée Unique, Rhône Valley, France.
I opened my last bottle of 1999 Châteauneuf du Pape, and with a touch of sadness and a slight disappointment the Clos du Mont-Olivet didn’t live up to my expectations, but there was enough there for a happy good bye to one of my favorite vintages. The color looked good, dark garnet with just a bit of bricky to it, and the palate had some pretty dried flowers, a burst of red fruits and a supple textural feel, but the end is near for this one, with decaying autumn leaves, beef bouillon cube, mushroom and stewy/dusty notes overtaking the fresher vine berry and plum fruits. There was a few minutes of balance and pleasure hinted at what a great wine in the past was here in this vintage of Clos du Mont-Olivet, so I highly recommend sooner v later on any Châteauneufs you might have been hanging on to. I recently has a ’99 Janesse and it was far more in a peak window, though I could see the evolution was heading. The Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge “Cuvée Unique” was a special North Berkeley Imports selection, aged exclusively in older foudre passed down from generation to generation of the Sabon family, who own the estate, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. For this version, the cépage was 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, coming from carefully selected parcels, with some classic galets and limestone soils, including the famous La Crau, and made with partial whole cluster. I may have been hoping for a better end of life performance here, but I will continue to age a few Rhône reds, including Gigondas and Châteauneuf du Pape, as some can be absolutely magic after 20 to 25 years, as seen most recently with a Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe!
The Domaine of Clus du Mont-Olivet was originally founded in the mid-16th century, but was established as a Châteauneuf producer in 1932, three years after the AOC was granted, has seen many historical changes, and now the estate today is run by Thierry Sabon, who has brought back a sense of elegance and traditional character to this famous label. Clos du Mont-Olivet, now imported by Skurnik Wines, encompasses parcels of mainly 60+ year old vines in the heart of the Châteauneuf du Pape AOC, plus some excellent Lirac vines as well. The wines now are considered more in the classical style, with what Skurnik calls heady, complex aromatics, and garrigue-laden fruit that tastes of the stones that comprise the fascinating soils of the area. Thierry’s minimalist approach in the cellar, which highlights terroir and transparency is bit different from some early vintages, that focused on fruit density and richness over finesse. These days, the main Châteauneuf du Pape red blend is close to 78% Grenache, 11% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre and 3% Cinsault, all organic grapes, with 50% whole cluster and natural indigenous yeast fermentation and aged more than 12 months in 65% old foudres, 20% concrete, 8% stainless steel and 7% older barrels. This faded and slightly dried out Cuvée Unique 1999, which deserved to be enjoyed maybe 10 years old, still intrigued with lingering porporri, framboise, earthiness and minty licorice. The winery has a full range of wines these days and I recommend searching out the old vines Côtes du Rhône, which is a killer value, along with the Lirac Rouge and the three separate bottlings of Châteauneuf Rouge and the Blanc, which has 40% Clairette, 30% Roussanne, 14% Bourboulenc, 10% Grenache Blanc, 2% Clairette Rose, 2% Picardan, 1% Picpoul Blanc and 1% Grenache Gris in the bland.
($45 Est.) 86 Points, grapelive