Clos Saint Jean was founded in 1900 in Chateauneuf du Pape and is still a small, family-run operation. The estate produces 12,500 cases annually. Brothers Pascal and Vincent Maurel run the business. Clos Saint Jean primarily produces Chateauneuf du Pape, including the Vieilles Vignes and several special cuvees including the Combe des Fous and Deus-Ex Machina. In 2002, Philippe Cambie was hired as consulting oenologist.
Deep purple in color. 14.5% ABV. With tons of coaxing I picked up red fruits, olives and saline on the nose. Big, rich and robust on the palate. Flavors of garrigue, kirsch liqueur, plums and cocoa powder. Exceptionally long and still somewhat tannic finish. I’ll let my last few bottles sit in cellar for another couple years. Lots of potential here and that bodes well for the special cuvees from this vintage.
My rating: 93 points.
The ’11 and ’12 are available at retail. Both are great buys right around $50 or so. I’m a buyer.
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