Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Les Hautes Brusquieres Cuvée Speciale”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- All the grapes come from the Brusquières plateau, in the north of Châteauneuf du Pape, where we can find the famous “Galets Roulés”.
- The Cuvée Les Hautes Brusquières is a perennial favourite from journalists, atypical as it is with its high Syrah component.
Varietal Composition: 60% Grenache, 39% Syrah, 1% Counoise
Elaboration: Enormous care is taken at harvest time. It is done in a traditional method: hand-picked harvest with a selective sorting of grapes in the vineyard and at the cellar (by using a sorting table), which are proofs of quality. We kept 25% whole clusters in this Cuvée. The vinification has be done in tronconic oak vats. The alcoholic fermentation lasts 4 to 5 weeks with different operations. A release, punching of the cap and pumping over. The malolactic fermentation is made in demi-muids and oak vats. Elevage continues in oak vats and in demi-muids
Tasting Notes: This Single Vineyard Cuvée reveals layered hints of dark cherries, crushed raspberry, the structure is massive yet with some elegant tannins.
PRESS
2011 – 92 Wine Advocate | 92 Wine Spectator | 92 Vinous | 90-93 Jeb Dunnuck
2012 – 91 Vinous | 91 Wine Spectator | 94 Wine Advocate | 95 James Suckling
2013 – 91 Wine Advocate | 93 Wine Spectator | 89-91 Vinous
2015 – 91 Jeb Dunnuck | 95 Wine Advocate | 95 Wine Spectator | 96 James Suckling
2016 – 91-93 Vinous | 93 Decanter | 94 James Suckling | 95-97 Jeb Dunnuck | 96 Wine Enthusiast | 96 Wine Spectator | 96-98 Wine Advocate
2017 – 93+ Jeb Dunnuck | 94 Vinous | 94 Wine Spectator | 95 James Suckling | 96 Wine Advocate
2019 – 94 Wine Spectator | 95 Wine Advocate | 96 James Suckling | 97 Jeb Dunnuck
2020 – 95 Wine Spectator | 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck | 96 James Suckling | 96 Vinous
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Domaine de la Charbonnière has been the singular passion of the Maret family since their purchase of this iconic property in 1912. The young and charismatic Veronique Maret is responsible for the recent meteoric rise of Charbonnière – Veronique is handling all winemaking and somehow also finding the time to run the Domaine’s sales activities. One of the most important changes Veronique made since taking over in 2012 was the move to organic viticulture. Organic farming really started to make its mark on the finished wines in 2014 and the press we’ve been seeing from that point on only validates our opinion on that front. Domaine de la Charbonnière’s holdings spread over 68 acres in some of the region’s most sought after lieu dits – 49 of these in Châteauneuf du Pape, 15 in Vacqueyras, 4 in Côtes du Rhône. Winemaking is traditional with a profound respect for grapes and terroir. Reds are fermented in conical wood vats, and aged in a mix of demi muids and barrels. While the majority of our Charbonniere references are red, Insiders have long sought out the property’s white wine offerings, which we make available to you with wide grins on our faces. These are all tactile wines that combine elegance and serious depth at once.