Wine Advocate (96-98)

Superbly concentrated, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Hautes Brusquieres Cuvee Speciale takes floral and tea-like complexities and layers them delicately over crisp raspberries and stone fruits. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, it's full-bodied, velvety and long, with an attractive briny note on the finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Les Hautes Brusquières (60/40 Grenache and Syrah) comes from a cooler terroir near the Mount Redon plateau and was brought up in oak tronconique tanks and demi-muids. Its dense purple, almost opaque hue is followed by a brilliant perfume of mulled red and black fruits, peppery herbs, crushed stone, violets, and licorice. With full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, and just about perfect tannins, it's another superstar wine from this estate that's up with the finest vintages to date.

Wine Advocate (96-98+)

Verging on surmaturité, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes turns the volume up to 11, yet I couldn't help but be captivated by its nuance at the same time. Immensely concentrated raspberries, cherries and a hint of dark chocolate emerge on the nose of this blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre, joined by hints of Asian five spice and salted licorice. From the lieux-dits of la Crau (sud) and Cristia, it's full-bodied and hugely powerful (16% alcohol), yet it retains a sense of freshness and elegance on the long, silky-textured finish. Wow!

Jeb Dunnuck (94-96+)

The quality of the Cuvée Vieilles Vignes has soared over the past 4-5 years, and while older vintages has a touch of austerity and rusticity, new releases show more balance, polished tannins, and finesse, while still showing classic old vine Grenache power. The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (90/10 Grenache and Mourvèdre) boasts a deep purple color to go with full-bodied richness, building tannins, lots of cassis and black raspberry fruit, and complex notes of garrigue, pepper, and violets. I’d put this up with the top wines in the vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre) comes all from the stony, pebbly soils of La Crau and was brought up in tank and demi-muids. Ripe black cherry fruits, iodine, ground pepper, and bloody, meaty nuances all emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, with a seamless, multi-dimensional texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a rock star of a finish. It's just a brilliant, elegant, pure, lengthy wine that does everything right. Drink this classic, traditional, structured wine over the coming two decades.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The inky colored 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Reine des Bois is a match for the otherworldly 2001 and is a magical wine that couldn’t be any better. Based on 75% Grenache and the balance Mourvèdre, Syrah, Vaccarèse, and Counoise, raised in tank and neutral barrels, its inky black color is followed by an awesome perfume of blackberries, smoked earth/charcoal, licorice, graphite, and garrigue. Deep, full-bodied, with a huge mid-palate, a seamless texture, and serious tannins, it has the purity as well as depth that makes this vintage so compelling. This modern-day legend needs 3-4 years of cellaring and is capable of lasting for 15-20 years.

Vinous (94)

Shimmering magenta. Expansive, spice-accented raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by suave incense and potpourri qualities. Seamless, energetic and sweet, offering an array of mineral-laced red and blue fruit preserve and floral pastille flavors and a touch of five-spice powder. Finishes juicy and impressively long, displaying fine-grained tannins and lingering florality.

James Suckling (97)

Smelling this great Chateauneuf is like gazing into a deep chasm. Amazing complexity with aromas ranging from black raspberries through to candied orange, but also notes of raw meat and licorice. Super-concentrated, super-structured, but also more elegant than a wine built on this monumental scale can theoretically be. Extremely long, complete finish. A cuvee of 80% grenache, 10% syrah and 10% mourvedre. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

Another gorgeous wine from this team is the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Lieu-Dit Pignan, which is 100% Grenache from one of the top terroirs in the appellation. It doesn't have the sheer power of the 2019, but it's finer and more elegant, offering a thrilling nose of wild strawberries, blueberries, peppery herbs, spring flowers, and exotic spices. Just incredibly pure, medium to full-bodied, and ultra-fine, with a gorgeous finish, it can be drunk any time over the coming 10-15 years. It's a thrilling example of finesse-driven Grenache.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

Almost at the same quality level, yet very different in style, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenaches de Pierre is more classic as well as elegant. Awesome amounts of black raspberries, graphite, crushed rocks, violets, and spring flower notes emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, perfect balance, plenty of tannins, and a more fresh, focused, oh so pure style. It’s going to merit a triple-digit score in 4-5 years and keep for two decades.

Wine Spectator (97)

This drips with steeped raspberry, plum and boysenberry fruit, making for a decidedly fruit-driven personality. Shows ample spine, with a deeply buried bolt of graphite and hints of Turkish coffee and ganache skittering through. Offers a long echo of smoldering tobacco. A stunner. Best from 2020 through 2045. 400 cases made.

Whisky Base (93)

n/a

Colour: Full, rich dark gold.

Nose: Full, complex aromas with dried berries and sherry-infused malty tones

Palate: Sweetness akin to a fine, aged cognac with incredible oloroso depth and freshness. Fruit, nuts, marzipan and Christmas cake warming spice.

Finish: A whisky you never want to end and it almost feels as if it won't, the finish goes on forever with spice, decadent dark cocoa and forest floor. A final flourish of spiced demerara rum leaves you longing for more.

Colour: Autumnal, red gold.

Nose: Fresh sweetness with fruity Turkish delight with a power akin to the first whiff from a freshly opened bag of Java coffee beans.

Palate: An undeniably decadent sweetness on the palate with salted caramel, dark cocoa and Oloroso-soaked raisins. Sherry comes through with excellent power, bringing with it Sherry and spicy demerara notes.

Finish: Lingering and persistent with alternating layers of sweetness and dry roastiness and peppery spice. Extremely complex and enthralling.

A special, limited edition release from one of Scotland's most iconic distilleries, this fabulous bottling celebrates the long history of Glenfarclas and its independent ownership under the Grant family, the distillery's custodians since 1836. A classically sherried, balanced and refined Speyside, everything we have come to expect and love about Glenfarclas, this is a must have for the collector and a treat for the drinker. A vatting of casks from the past 50 years this combines the best of the mature stock lying in Glenfarclas' historic warehouses with the vibrance and verve that makes the younger bottlings so thrilling and complex. A beautiful rewarding whisky by any measure and a must-have collector's item to boot!

Colour: Amber with dark-gold highlights.

Nose: Complex yet refined with tempting aromas of marmalade, nuts, freshly ground coffee and chocolate.

Flavour: Full-bodied and robust with some oaky tannins courtesy of its exceptional age in sherry barrels.

Finish: Powerful but never overbearing with exceptional balance. Intense and long in the mouth with beautiful finesse and freshness.

One of the hottest commodities on the cask market over the past year is assuredly The Glenrothes. Stablemate to Macallan and Highland Park and under the masterful guidance of Gordon Motion who took the reins in 2009, there are few Speysiders which have the reputation for longevity and excellence as The Glenrothes. After a rapturous reception to our recent offering of the 2011s and a follow up of 2012, we are pleased that we can offer a last butt of 2013 to our customers as well.

Glenrothes is best known as a sherry-aged Speysider and this cask shows why that reputation is so justified; taking the best elements of the wood and developing into a thoroughly impressive malt. Having spent the last decade in first fill butts and taking on some remarkable characteristics as well as impressive depth of colour, they are nothing short of blue chip casks in the early days of their trajectory.

Stored at Glenrothes distillery since distillation, this has not been regauged hence the cask being listed with OLA details but a sample drawn has indicated excellent colour extraction and a recent regauge of the 2011 casks we purchased registered RLA 262.5 which is par for the course on a 1st fill Sherry butt and we would expect this to be regauged in the coming weeks between 262 and 285 RLA or thereabouts with an ABV in the low to mid 60s, indicating excellent longevity.

Tasting Note
Glenrothes’ spirit generally sports a clear barley-driven aromatic profile the key to this cask’s appeal is the classically oily, muscular structure that has become a hallmark of Glenrothes’ extremely age-worthy spirit over the years. The sherry wood is working wonders inregards to the develoment of a complex, decadent flavour profile as well as colour; a not insignificant element of the overall experience, so be sure.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and in the same league as the perfect 2010. Awesome notes of blackberries, crème de cassis, charred meats, licorice, and violets all soar from the glass. It's powerful, opulent, and structured, with building tannin, a huge mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish, yet it never loses its sense of purity and elegance. It's an incredible achievement from this estate. The blend is 45% Grenache, 45% Mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah, all aged in 55% new French oak.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

I was blown away by the prospective blend I tasted of the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. Already delicious, it combines raspberries and cherries with vanilla cream and baking spices. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it shows great length and freshness, ending in hints of garrigue and licorice.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is based on 45% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, with the balance Syrah, all destemmed and raised in 55% new French oak. Gorgeous cassis, violet, graphite, fruitcake, and peppery herbs define this brilliant effort, and it's full-bodied, with a pure, seamless texture, wonderful tannins, and one heck of a great finish. This magical 2019 is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age (it's brilliant even today) yet keep for 20 years or more. Châteauneuf du Pape lovers need to have this in their cellar!

Wine Advocate (95-97)

Blended from the lieux-dits of La Crau and Rayas, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Muse tank sample carries a hint of fresh herbs upfront for freshness but also plush black cherry fruit, creamy/supple tannins and a long, licorice-tinged finish. It looks to be a stunner!

Wine Advocate (92-94)

Apparently, there's no Les Celestins in 2013, which was a challenging vintage in the Southern Rhône. That said, the barrel we tasted of the 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier was a bit light but elegant and silky in texture, with pomegranate-like red fruit and gentle spice.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

Now the flagship of this estate, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 75% Grenache and the rest Cinsault, Mourvedre, and a little Syrah. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue, it offers a beautiful array of black raspberry and darker cherry fruit as well as lots of graphite, chalky minerality, Provençal garrigue, and spice. Beautiful on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, rock-solid underlying structure and concentration, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years (although it certainly offers incredible pleasure even today) and will keep for two decades. Tasted twice.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

Now the flagship of this estate, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 75% Grenache and the rest Cinsault, Mourvedre, and a little Syrah. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue, it offers a beautiful array of black raspberry and darker cherry fruit as well as lots of graphite, chalky minerality, Provençal garrigue, and spice. Beautiful on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, rock-solid underlying structure and concentration, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years (although it certainly offers incredible pleasure even today) and will keep for two decades. Tasted twice.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure is the standard 100% Grenache, from a single parcel of old vines located at the intersection of the Grand Pierre, Rayas, and Pointu lieux-dits, that was brought up all in a single foudre. Coming from sandy, cooler soils, it offers a surprisingly dark purple hue to go with a stunning nose of black cherry liqueur, wild strawberries, roasted herbs, licorice, graphite, and chalky minerality. Straight-up stunning, with full-bodied richness and a voluptuous, seamless texture carrying awesome tannins and a monster of a finish, this stunning Grenache brings classic power and richness with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It reminds me of the 2005 and is a sensational Châteauneuf du Pape that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. Hats off (again) to the genius of the young Julien Barrot!

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure is the standard 100% Grenache, from a single parcel of old vines located at the intersection of the Grand Pierre, Rayas, and Pointu lieux-dits, that was brought up all in a single foudre. Coming from sandy, cooler soils, it offers a surprisingly dark purple hue to go with a stunning nose of black cherry liqueur, wild strawberries, roasted herbs, licorice, graphite, and chalky minerality. Straight-up stunning, with full-bodied richness and a voluptuous, seamless texture carrying awesome tannins and a monster of a finish, this stunning Grenache brings classic power and richness with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It reminds me of the 2005 and is a sensational Châteauneuf du Pape that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. Hats off (again) to the genius of the young Julien Barrot!

Wine Advocate (94-97+)

Even better than the Vendange cuvee, and I suspect one of the wines of the vintage, Stephane’s 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Côtes Capelan is the top wine of the estate and is made from 80% Grenache and 10% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, raised 70% in concrete and 30% in barrels. There’s under 500 cases of this beauty and it reveals a deep purple color as well as decadent notes of blackberries, blackcurrants, crushed rocks and melted licorice. Full-bodied, thick, unctuous and massively concentrated, with ripe tannin and a killer finish, don’t miss it!

Jeb Dunnuck (94-96)

Incorporating 10% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre, the Grenache-dominated 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (there's a touch of Cinsault) sports a saturated ruby/purple color. It shows hints of new oak in its black raspberries, blackberry, cured meats, crushed violets and spice-driven aromatics. This gives way to a rich, incredibly concentrated base cuvée that could easily be mistaken for the Vieille Vignes from another good year. Polished, concentrated and young, it's going to need bottle age.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Chaupin is all Grenache, 40% whole cluster, aged in two-thirds foudre and one-third demi-muids and drawn exclusively from sandy sites. It showcases incredibly lush, silky fruit. Raspberries and cherries of incredible purity add hints of chocolate on the long finish but never seem heavy or warm.