90 Josh Raynolds - Vinous Media

**This is a 375ML sized bottle!

"Bright red. Lively red berry aromas are complemented by notes of garrigue and white pepper. Spicy and precise, offering sweet raspberry and redcurrant flavors that show surprising depth and sneaky power. Closes on a sweet note, with lingering florality and very fine tannins. This wine will be drinkable soon." 90 points - Josh Raynolds - International Wine Cellar

WINE:
"The flagship wine is composed predominately of Grenache (around 80%), with Syrah, Mouvedre and Cinsault rounding out the blend. The wines are fermented in concrete vats and aged in large foudres (no new oak is used at this no-nonsense domaine). The grapes are not de-stemmed and the wines are neither fined nor filtered. The vines at this estate average over 60 years of age." -Importer

WINERY:
"The wines of this estate, which traces its history back to 1547, are among the finest of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Run by the esteemed Sabon family, Clos du Mont-Olivet is made in a traditional style: partial destemming of grapes, crushing and fermenting in concrete vats, and aging in large foudres. Making wine is a family affair at Clos du Mont Olivet, and the three Sabon brothers -- Jean-Claude, Pierre and Bernard have run the domaine for the last 30 years, with Bernard's son Thierry gradually assuming winemaking duties, starting gradually in 2001."

"The 29-hectares of Chateauneuf du Pape that the domaine holds (they also have 17ha of Cotes du Rhone vineyards) is made up of many small parcels, spread throughout the appellation, that vary in size betwen 21 ares and 3 hectares. Montalivet is a walled vineyard to the east that surrounds the domaine and features the Sabons' oldest vines. Since 1990, these grapes have formed the basis for the deluxe "Cuvée Papet" - an amazingly concentrated and complex Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Further north, Le Pied-de-Baud contains "galets roulés," the large oval rocks for which Châteauneuf-du-Pape is well-known. Although the vines here are younger, the spherical stones reflect the intense southern-Rhone sun, thereby ripening the grapes to full maturity. The third primary section of vines, located to the south, is known as Les Gallimades, a plot of smaller stones and gravel with excellent drainage." -Importer

This wine was scored 89 points in the Rhone Report and 88 points by both Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator.