Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueyras Cuvee Speciale 2019
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The nose reveals lively balsamic notes, dark berries, fresh laurel, and black olives. The structure is round and generous with a long voluptuous finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Vacqueyras Cuvée Spéciale comes from a single vineyard (the lieu-dit is Cabane) and offers a bigger, broader, richer style. Ground pepper, cured meats, chocolate, and garrigue notes all define this ruby-hued beauty, and it has ripe tannins, a round, expansive mouthfeel, and a great finish. It’s up with the top wines in the appellation.
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Wine Spectator
This entices with rose petal and wild strawberry interwoven with generous spicy black pepper and cast iron notes. Dark and sturdy on the palate, with salty minerality as well as good tension and length, with formidable tannic structure. Grenache and Syrah.
Other Vintages
2016-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
It was in 1912 that Eugene Maret bought Domaine de la Charbonniere as a gift for his wife who was a native of Chateauneuf and the daughter of a winemaker. Their son Fernand Maret inherited a part of the Domaine and enlarged it upon the birth of his son Michel.
Today Michel Maret had over 16 hectares of vineyards located in the high plateaux of Les Brusquieres and La Crau both covered with the famous cailloux roulets and at Mourre des Perdix, sandy soil dotted with larger stones.
The passion and know-how of the winemaker, handpicking of the fruit, and careful sorting at the winery enable Michel Maret to optimize all the promise of a great terrior.
The vinification at the Domaine follows the classic style: no destemming, and three weeks fermentation in stainless steel vats, after which the wine is aged in large oak fourdes for 12-18 months.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
This charming appellation within the Côtes du Rhône Villages was second only to Gigondas to earn its own village appellation status. Its wines may be red, rosé or white—though hardly any is white. Its high winemaking standards follow many of the same rules as Chateauneuf-du-Pape. But for Vacqueyras red wines, half of the grapes have to be Grenache and the remainder is usually a combination of Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault.
While they can be robust and rustic in style, typically a great Vacqueyras red combines delicate aromas with intense fruit and a bright, crisp texture. They certainly don’t lack any character and show an abundance of black cherry, wild berry, plum, fig, baking spice, and a touch of game or smoke.