Back in the 1930s, the Clos St Patrice vineyard was known as one of the best plots in the region. The clos is now also among the oldest monopole vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The plot covers 1.8 hectares and is planted with old grenache and mourvèdre vines. The grapes for the other Cotes-du-Rhone come from different lieux-dits, including Cabrière, Le Pied Long, Les Terres Blanches, Les gallimardes and Les Marines. The soil consists of sand with white clay and is covered with red cobbles. All plots are farmed organically. After the manual harvest, about 20% of the bunches are destemmed.
In 2009, Guy Julien and his son Jérôme took over the estate. For the first five years, they sold their wines to a local négociant, but that changed in 2014 when Samuel Montgermont started working with the Juliens. He was so impressed by the wines and therefore felt it was time to bottle and release them themselves.
The 2020 is a blend of mostly old-vine Grenache, with a chunk of Mourvedre & a splash of Syrah. 40% are whole clusters, fermentation takes place in concrete vats & is aged in a combination of concrete & old foudre. Wines are bottled in the Spring & aged in the cellar for an additional year before being released.
Darkly colored in the glass, the aromas are warm & welcoming with a beautiful raspberry scented perfume, complimented by layers of savory plums, blueberries, violet, sage & tapenade. Rich, round & perfectly balanced in the mouth, the flavors are deep & purely fruited. There is weighty volume on the mid-palate that glides effortlessly into a deliciously long & velvety finish.
retail price $22
pow price $15
