New Rhone wines in the Flickinger Fine Wines inventory http://www.flickingerwines.com/wineregions/rhone.asp RR 98 (8/2009): Only made in the best years, the 2007 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Caillou Reserve is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvèdre and possesses deep, very dark aromas of cassis, blackberry, graphite, lead pencil, earth and minerals. These aromas and flavors carry over into the palate and the wine is massively endowed, full bodied, packed with gorgeously rich fruit and perfectly balanced. The quality and purity to the fruit is really something and while I don’t have any experience older example of this wine, everything seems in place and this should age beautifully for 20+ years. WA 97 (10/2009): The 2007 Le Clos du Caillou Reserve is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, and 20% Syrah, with the Grenache aged in concrete tanks and the other components aged in both demi-muids and small barrels. This wine will probably not be as long-lived as the utterly perfect 2001, but it is a wine of considerable substance, richness, and appeal. Dense purple to the rim, this is an ethereal beauty of purity and substantial power, allied together in a wine offering up notes of licorice, incense, acacia flowers, black raspberry and black currant notes. It is full-bodied, deep, and for this particular cuvee, surprisingly accessible due to the sweetness of the tannins and the high levels of glycerin and rich fruit. This wine is irresistible already, although it will certainly develop more nuances aromatically over the next 4-5 years and evolve for at least two decades. This is sensational stuff and a great effort. IWC 95 (2/2010): (a 70/30 blend of grenache and mourvedre) Dark purple. Hypnotic bouquet of red and dark berry compote, flowers and spices, with notes of smoky garrigue and cola gaining power with air. Manages to be both dense and energetic, offering sweet raspberry and boysenberry flavors underscored by candied flowers and herbs. The finish refuses to let up, repeating the sweet berry and floral notes with great authority. JLL ****(*) (11/2008): Dark red with black tints in the robe; has a broad, wholesome bouquet - beef stock and deep blackberry or black cherry, with a little spice. The palate delivers blackberry fruit with an earthy inlay, delivered in the wrapping of a smooth texture. It is a supple, oily wine with a sweet thread through it. There are polished late tannins and oak – like many wines this year. The length is sound, This is going to be tasty and gracious - it is very sleek and modern, not local. From 2011.WS 91 (2/2010): Delivers underlying grip right from the start, helping to carry a mix of crushed black cherry, currant and plum fruit, while hints of tar, incense and hot stone weave in and out. Shows impressive length and depth for the appellation. Drink now through 2011. 502 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/LeClosduCaillou.aspRR 98 (8/2009): Only made in the best years, the 2007 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Caillou Reserve is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvèdre and possesses deep, very dark aromas of cassis, blackberry, graphite, lead pencil, earth and minerals. These aromas and flavors carry over into the palate and the wine is massively endowed, full bodied, packed with gorgeously rich fruit and perfectly balanced. The quality and purity to the fruit is really something and while I don’t have any experience older example of this wine, everything seems in place and this should age beautifully for 20+ years. WA 97 (10/2009): The 2007 Le Clos du Caillou Reserve is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, and 20% Syrah, with the Grenache aged in concrete tanks and the other components aged in both demi-muids and small barrels. This wine will probably not be as long-lived as the utterly perfect 2001, but it is a wine of considerable substance, richness, and appeal. Dense purple to the rim, this is an ethereal beauty of purity and substantial power, allied together in a wine offering up notes of licorice, incense, acacia flowers, black raspberry and black currant notes. It is full-bodied, deep, and for this particular cuvee, surprisingly accessible due to the sweetness of the tannins and the high levels of glycerin and rich fruit. This wine is irresistible already, although it will certainly develop more nuances aromatically over the next 4-5 years and evolve for at least two decades. This is sensational stuff and a great effort. IWC 95 (2/2010): (a 70/30 blend of grenache and mourvedre) Dark purple. Hypnotic bouquet of red and dark berry compote, flowers and spices, with notes of smoky garrigue and cola gaining power with air. Manages to be both dense and energetic, offering sweet raspberry and boysenberry flavors underscored by candied flowers and herbs. The finish refuses to let up, repeating the sweet berry and floral notes with great authority. JLL ****(*) (11/2008): Dark red with black tints in the robe; has a broad, wholesome bouquet - beef stock and deep blackberry or black cherry, with a little spice. The palate delivers blackberry fruit with an earthy inlay, delivered in the wrapping of a smooth texture. It is a supple, oily wine with a sweet thread through it. There are polished late tannins and oak – like many wines this year. The length is sound, This is going to be tasty and gracious - it is very sleek and modern, not local. From 2011.WS 91 (2/2010): Delivers underlying grip right from the start, helping to carry a mix of crushed black cherry, currant and plum fruit, while hints of tar, incense and hot stone weave in and out. Shows impressive length and depth for the appellation. Drink now through 2011. 502 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/LeClosduCaillou.aspWA 100 (6/2003): These wines usually flirt with perfection, which is the case with the 2000 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree. It boasts an amazing nose of licorice, minerals, acacia flowers, honeysuckle, and a hint of butter. Unctuously-textured and full-bodied, with great intensity and purity, yet remarkably light on its feet, it can be drunk over the next 3-4 years, then forgotten for a decade, after which it will last for 40-50 years.RR 95 (11/2006): Closed and tight at first but opened slightly with air. Very rich with stone fruit notes, earth, minerals, smoke and buttery notes. Just an amazing, full bodied palate. Soft, full and seamless with a killer long finish. JLL **** (12/2005): Ripe, fat bouquet, opulent, broad and open; heat, cooked fruit, white fruit jam, caramel and crème brulée on the palate. Dried fruit skins also in the taste, and some end spice. It finishes more drily than attacks.IWC 90+ (2/2002): (bottled in September) Vibrant fruit aromas complicated by a note of butterscotch. Complex flavors of candied fruits and lemon; quite discreet today but with a distinct aspect of surmaturite Manages to wear its 14.5% alcohol fairly gracefully. Still, this rather backward wine is a bit warm on the back end.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MChapoutier.aspWA 100 (6/2003): These wines usually flirt with perfection, which is the case with the 2000 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree. It boasts an amazing nose of licorice, minerals, acacia flowers, honeysuckle, and a hint of butter. Unctuously-textured and full-bodied, with great intensity and purity, yet remarkably light on its feet, it can be drunk over the next 3-4 years, then forgotten for a decade, after which it will last for 40-50 years.RR 95 (11/2006): Closed and tight at first but opened slightly with air. Very rich with stone fruit notes, earth, minerals, smoke and buttery notes. Just an amazing, full bodied palate. Soft, full and seamless with a killer long finish. JLL **** (12/2005): Ripe, fat bouquet, opulent, broad and open; heat, cooked fruit, white fruit jam, caramel and crème brulée on the palate. Dried fruit skins also in the taste, and some end spice. It finishes more drily than attacks.IWC 90+ (2/2002): (bottled in September) Vibrant fruit aromas complicated by a note of butterscotch. Complex flavors of candied fruits and lemon; quite discreet today but with a distinct aspect of surmaturite Manages to wear its 14.5% alcohol fairly gracefully. Still, this rather backward wine is a bit warm on the back end.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MChapoutier.aspWA 88-90 (10/2011): The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape (made from the same blend as the 2009) is a negociant bottling sold under the “Mourchon” label. It possesses sweeter fruit in the aromatics than its older sibling, in addition to a richer, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and more stuffing and personality. While it is not up to the level of the Seguret Cotes du Rhone-Villages wines, it is a very good effort and could turn out to be close to outstanding.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/SARLMourchon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/SARLMourchon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/SARLMourchon.aspWS 92 (10/2011): This is quite young, with rich, velvety layers of fig sauce, raspberry preserve and currant paste layered with gorgeous bittersweet cocoa, violet and anise notes. The long, dark finish is weighty but pure. Impressive. Syrah. Drink now through 2014. 250 cases made. WA 88-90 (10/2010): The 2009 Seguret Family Reserve Syrah is 100% Syrah aged in small oak barrels for ten months before being bottled unfiltered. It exhibits the most saturated ruby/purple color of this quartet along with attractive aromas of blackberries, cassis, spice, licorice and background oak. It does not possess the complexity of the Grenache-based cuvee, but it is a very good Syrah from the southern Rhone that should provide plenty of pleasure over the next 5-8 years.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/DomdeMourchon.aspWA 90-93 (10/2011): I did not taste any Seguret Family Reserve in 2010, but the 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Seguret Grande Reserve (65% Grenache and 35% Syrah) is a fresh, lively effort revealing good focus, slightly more acidity than the 2009, and a more backward, restrained character. This concentrated, impressively endowed 2010 should age nicely for a decade or more. JLL **[*] (7/2011): Nice black colour, purple tints. Pepper-licorice, reductive air, a profound implant of black fruit. The palate leads on blackberry with a certain plumpness before tannins enclose it. Vigorous wine, just under control. Slight tone of alcohol spirit on the finale. From late 2012. To 2018.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/DomdeMourchon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/DomdeMourchon.aspWS 91 (10/2011): Fleshy and smoky, with enticing mesquite, tobacco and iron notes weaving through the large core of fig and blackberry fruit. The long, smoldering finish has some serious grip in reserve. Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. Drink now through 2013. 2,500 cases made. WA 89 (10/2011): As for the 2009 Cotes du Rhones, which are all in bottle, the 2009 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Seguret Tradition has a dark ruby color and the telltale kirsch liqueur with some earthy and loamy soil notes in the background, as well as hints of pepper and spice. It is a classic example of a Provencal wine. Medium to full-bodied and supple, it should continue to drink well for another 4-5 years.JLL **[*] (7/2011): Robust red, light rim at top. Charcoal on the first nose, then gushy red berry fruit – the bouquet suggests volume. The palate is muscular, broad; it delivers assertive red fruit with a herbal infill, and moves on to a mix of black berry, licorice, thyme and menthol at the end. Modern, full-on style of wine, the cellar has been active. Rather dry tannin on the finish. To 2016.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/DomdeMourchon.aspIWC 93 (2/2001): Medium ruby. Crushed blackberry, kirsch and leather on the port-like nose. Huge, powerful, deep and roasted; extravagantly roasted flavors of surmaturite Combines uncanny density with rock-solid acid and tannin structure. Finishes with compelling persistence and late hints of leather and bitter chocolate. WS 87 (6/2001): Rich and opulent, with plum, roasted nuts, game character. Medium-bodied, with smoke and licorice adding some complexity. Chewy, tannic and slightly heavy finish. Best from 2005 through 2010. 3,600 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/DomTardieu-Laurent.aspWA 97 (2/2006): One of the vintage’s most profound wines, the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul has a dense purple color as well as a glorious nose of blackberries, licorice, smoke, and some roasted meats and dried herbs. Amazingly opulent, even voluptuous, with extraordinary purity, a huge tactile impression on the palate, but not heavy by any means, this is a stunning Chateauneuf du Pape from ancient vines made with 95% Grenache and the rest Cinsault and Syrah. Production is about 8,000 bottles, and the wine is bottled after spending its entire life in epoxy-lined tanks, so what one gets is the essence of the three separate terroirs it comes from – Les Serres, Guigasse, and La Crau. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+.RR 97 (12/2006): The 2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul offers up a stunning nose of raspberries, earth, licorice, spice, charred wood and a slightly roasted, meaty quality that I just cannot get enough of and causes my mouth to water. A medium to full bodied palate with a big, mouth coating, velvety texture that just grips your mouth. Gobs of sweet tannins show up on the incredibly long finish. JLL ****[*] (12/2006): Solid robe. Prolonged depth in bouquet - prune, violet, with an intense core - is still young. Gracious, lovely flavour, interesting - is very savoury and luxuriant. Mix of garrigue herbal tastes and violet, with chocolate aftertaste. Pretty wine. WS 95 (11/2005): Really silky for an '03, with gorgeous raspberry ganache and cassis fruit that glides atop grilled herb, mineral and tar flavors. Long, authoritative finish shows lots of grip and fruit. A powerful yet racy wine. This really rocks. Drink now through 2025. 1,000 cases made.IWC 92 (2/2006): Deep, bright, violet-tinged color. Powerful scents of kirsch, roasted coffee, bitter chocolate, bacon fat and candied violet. Fabulously rich and concentrated, with densely packed but pure and precise flavors of berries, plum, cherry cola, floral pastille and charred meat. This sees only 5% oak. Finishes ripe and thick, with very persistent roasted berry flavors.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/PierreUsseglio.aspWA 97 (2/2006): One of the vintage’s most profound wines, the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul has a dense purple color as well as a glorious nose of blackberries, licorice, smoke, and some roasted meats and dried herbs. Amazingly opulent, even voluptuous, with extraordinary purity, a huge tactile impression on the palate, but not heavy by any means, this is a stunning Chateauneuf du Pape from ancient vines made with 95% Grenache and the rest Cinsault and Syrah. Production is about 8,000 bottles, and the wine is bottled after spending its entire life in epoxy-lined tanks, so what one gets is the essence of the three separate terroirs it comes from – Les Serres, Guigasse, and La Crau. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+.RR 97 (12/2006): The 2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul offers up a stunning nose of raspberries, earth, licorice, spice, charred wood and a slightly roasted, meaty quality that I just cannot get enough of and causes my mouth to water. A medium to full bodied palate with a big, mouth coating, velvety texture that just grips your mouth. Gobs of sweet tannins show up on the incredibly long finish. JLL ****[*] (12/2006): Solid robe. Prolonged depth in bouquet - prune, violet, with an intense core - is still young. Gracious, lovely flavour, interesting - is very savoury and luxuriant. Mix of garrigue herbal tastes and violet, with chocolate aftertaste. Pretty wine. WS 95 (11/2005): Really silky for an '03, with gorgeous raspberry ganache and cassis fruit that glides atop grilled herb, mineral and tar flavors. Long, authoritative finish shows lots of grip and fruit. A powerful yet racy wine. This really rocks. Drink now through 2025. 1,000 cases made.IWC 92 (2/2006): Deep, bright, violet-tinged color. Powerful scents of kirsch, roasted coffee, bitter chocolate, bacon fat and candied violet. Fabulously rich and concentrated, with densely packed but pure and precise flavors of berries, plum, cherry cola, floral pastille and charred meat. This sees only 5% oak. Finishes ripe and thick, with very persistent roasted berry flavors.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/PierreUsseglio.asp