Sexy 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Papes!

SPECTACULAR 2019 CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

“Julien Barrot's family has farmed in the region for generations and had been selling to negociants but, more recently, they began to produce the wines themselves. I personally visited the Domaine a few years ago, walked the vineyards, and tasted the lineup with Julien - it really opened up my eyes to how phenomenal his wines are... he is an absolute rock star! This family has truly mastered the art of cultivating Grenache – most of their vines were planted over a hundred years ago and have been lovingly tended by generation after generation.

Today we have two great wines from Barrot! First, we have the 2019 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape, now called Cuvée Julien Barrot (formerly known as their Signature bottling). James Molesworth of Wine Spectator calls it a‘Textbook, gutsy-edged Châteauneuf-du-Pape’ and Jeb Dunnuck describes it as a ‘beauty.’ We have an exceptional price on this amazing wine - only $47.99 when you buy two or more - that's $10 off our regular price of $57.99

We also have a few bottles of the captivating 2019 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape 'Fiancee,' a wine that is a perfect balance of power and finesse. It's a blend of two seemingly opposite grapes: 55% 100-year-old Grenache and 45% young Syrah. Jeb Dunnuck notes that he's 'not a fan of the Syrah-heavy releases from the Southern Rhône, but this will make a believer out of anyone.’ The 2019 vintage was extremely warm in the Southern Rhône but the Châteauneuf-du-Papes are turning out to be exceptional. Don’t miss out on these beauties!” – Jim Knight, The Wine House

“You cannot make a great wine without a great terroir, and a great terroir is nothing without the winemaker’s love for his vines.” – Julien Barrot

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Check out our CLOSEOUT wines on our website! Quantities are limited to current stock and new closeout wines are added regularly!

NOTE: Our store is open between 11AM and 6PM. When placing your order, you can select “in-store pickup” or “curbside pickup.” Please see updated curbside pickup instructions below.

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94 Points: “Lavender, pastis and warm stone notes liberally infuse a core of steeped cherry and plum paste flavors in this red, with everything knitting steadily through the finish, which features an encore of grippy, mouth-coating fruit. Textbook, gutsy-edged Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2023 through 2035.” – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (December 2021)

92+ Points: “The classic release from this great estate, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Julien Barrot is 60% Grenache, 19% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah and other permitted varieties. Black cherries, blackberries, graphite, peppery garrigue, and ample chalky minerality define this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a wonderful mid-palate, building structure, and outstanding length. It's a great 2019 that needs 2-4 years of bottle age to integrate its structure but will have 10-15+ years of prime drinking.” – Jeb Dunnuck (November 2021)

FROM THE WINERY

Cuvée Julien Barrot
His signature, his cru

In his quest to reveal the best of the terroir, this cuvée is the one which captures the most the essence of the estate and Julien Barrot’s philosophy as a winegrower.

A subtle blend of century-old Grenache vines, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault from the estate’s finest terroirs.

A unique, silky and opulent wine that clearly expresses its distinctive qualities. It also shows great class thank to its deep colour, floral bouquet, freshness, cocoa flavours and delicate aftertaste.

BLEND
60% Grenache from a plot at the junction of “Palestor” and “Bois Dauphin” districts and one at the junction of “Grand Pierre”, “Rayas” and “Pointu” districts as well as “Cabrières”, “Boursan” and “Pied Long” blocks.
19% Mourvedre from “Les Mascaronnes” and “Boursan” plots.
13% Syrah from “Le Parc” and “Cabrières” plots.5% Cinsault from “Pierre à feu” plots.
1% Vaccarese
2% Others

VITICULTURE
Rigorous bud pruning.
The picking is entirely by hand, with sorting in the vineyard and again in the cellar.

VINIFICATION AND AGING
Gravity-flow underground winery for gentle handling.
Wine-making in tulip-shaped concrete tanks.
Destemming of underripe stalks. The wine stays on the skins for over 4 weeks. Gentle extractions.
Aging in tulip-shaped concrete tanks, old oak casks and 600-liter barrels for 20 months.
The wine is not filtered before bottling.

96 Points: “This delivers a big burst of juicy raspberry and boysenberry purée flavors, lined with dark licorice and pastis notes while roasted applewood and fruitcake fill in through the juicy, yet focused finish. Excellent underlying energy throughout, with a long bolt of graphite giving it all support. Best from 2024 through 2038.” – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (December 2021)

94 Points: “The Syrah-heavy 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Fiancée (55% Grenache and 45% Syrah) was brought up 50% in foudre and the rest in demi-muids. It’s another dense, rich 2019 offering building tannins and structure as well as a beautiful nose of red and blue fruits supported by lots of peppery, meaty, spicy nuances. This rich, concentrated effort stays light and balanced, with good freshness and remarkable purity. I’m generally not a fan of the Syrah-heavy releases from the Southern Rhône, but this will make a believer out of anyone.” – Jeb Dunnuck (November 2021)

FROM THE WINERY

Fiancée
Irresistible

This wine combines two seemingly opposite grapes: 100-year-old Grenache and young Syrah.

However, these two varieties complement one another beautifully: a graceful blend of power and finesse with fresh fruit aromas, flowers and spices.

BLEND
55% Grenache from the 100-year-old Terres Blanches plot on early-ripening slopes. Wine from these grapes has considerable finesse and silkiness.
45% Syrah from the Cabrieres plot, which gives fruit, power, color and cocoa aromas.

VITICULTURE
Rigorous bud pruning.
The picking is entirely by hand, with sorting in the vineyard and again in the cellar.

VINIFICATION AND AGING
Gravity-flow underground winery for gentle handling.
Wine-making in tulip-shaped concrete tanks.
Destemming of underripe stalks. The wine stays on the skins for over 4 weeks. Gentle extractions.
Aging in tulip-shaped concrete tanks, old oak casks and 600-liter barrels for 20 months.
The wine is not filtered before bottling.

ABOUT DOMAINE LA BARROCHE

Domaine la Barroche is a family estate that has been passed down from one generation to the next since the 14th century and it is now managed by sister and brother team, Laetitia and Julien Barrot. Their father, Christian Barrot, is passionate about viticulture and has taken meticulous care of the family’s 12.5 hectare of vines since the early 1970’s. Until Julien joined his father back in 2002, all of the wine had been sold in bulk to negociants. Now, half of the Grenache vines are more than 100 years-old and are some of the oldest found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Julien has moved to completely organic viticulture (not certified) and his father is still following his passion and continues to work in the vineyards. Taking all of his father’s work to the next level, Julien is now vinifying each grape variety and some parcels separately, studying and learning his holdings parcel by parcel. According to Julien, “You cannot make a great wine without a great terroir, and a great terroir is nothing without the winemakers love for his vines.”

The vineyards are mainly in the north/north-east sector of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Each parcel has a unique terroir, but overall, what is notable is that their vineyards have a high proportion of sand giving the wines elegance and finesse. Because the family has been in Chateaneuf for such a long time, they have vines in the top parcels and the vines are quite old, averaging 65 years-old. Fine sand in Grand Pierre (next to Rayas) produces elegant and velvety Grenache from vines planted around 1900. From Grand Pierre one foudre of “Pure” is made per year. Fifty-year old Cinsault grows in Les Cerises with golden galets stones and produces a full-bodied and powerful wine. Grenache vines average forty years old in Pied-Long and Cabrières with a sandy, marl soil with some clay. There is another parcel of 100 year-old vines in Terres Blanches with a sandy, clay soil mixed with stones. There are also two more parcels of centenary vines in Palestor and Cabrières.

The Barrot's invested in a new winery, boasting beautiful tulip shaped cement (similar to the tanks used at Cheval Blanc) and were able to begin using it for the 2015 harvest. It's gravity-fed, like the old winery from 1930, just with much more space. The wines go through a four to five week pre-fermentation cold-soak maceration in the cement tulips. Pumping-over takes place for a gentle extraction. Ripe stems are kept and the amount varies from year to year. Natural yeast found on the grapes starts fermentation. The wine is moved from one vat to another by gravity without pumping or racking. Aging takes place over 18 months: in old oak foudres for the Grenache, one to three year-old barrels on the Mourvèdre and Syrah (aged on the lies) and stainless steel on the Cinsault. The wines are bottled unfiltered.

Given the exceptional age of the vineyards, Barroche does not bottle a typical entry-level "Classic" Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The flagship of the winery is a prestige cuvée, Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Barrot”. The vines average 65 years-old, from a mostly sandy soil, fermented and aged in cement tulips, large foudres, and demi-muids. They make a small amount of Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Pure” from centenary Grenache vines. In exceptional year, they will bottle a Châteauneuf-du-Pape called "Finacée" which is a blend of old-vine Mourvedre with young Syrah. In 2015, the Barrot's found a special vineyard east of Avignon; the vines are nearly 100 years-old and the soil is similar to "La Crau" in Châteauneuf. The wine is classified as Vin de France and called "Liberty". Dunnuck describes the 'Liberty' as tasting, "like a Châteauneuf du Pape with its juicy black raspberry, violets, peppery herbs and distinct minerality. This comparison is certainly still valid on the palate, as well and its medium to full-bodied, concentrated and structured, with a sappy, grippy style that will evolve nicely for 7-8 years or more. Don’t let the Vin de France label sway you, this is the real deal." And in 2016, Barroche made it's first white wine, also called "Pure" Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. It's 100% Clairette from the "Pialons" vineyard, which has very fine sand of marine origin. It's also iron-rich with an outstanding subsoil supplying the vines with water and nutrients. The vineyard's unique geology is conducive to a range of extremely refined aromas in the wine, as well as an elegant, silky mouth feel accompanied by a great deal of freshness.

Over the years, Barroche has refined their style working to emphasize finesse over power. The wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape are notoriously powerful and it's exciting to see the progress made each year by the Barrot brother and sister team.

UPDATED CURBSIDE PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS (AUGUST 2021):

1. Place your online order, select “curbside pickup” and the date you wish to pick up your order. You will receive several emails. The first will acknowledge receipt of your order, another will let you know that your order is ready for curbside pickup.

2. When your order is ready for curbside pickup, it will be at the front of the store. IMPORTANT! Due to space constraints, orders will only be held in the front of the store for curbside pickup for 3 days. After 3 days, they will be moved back to Will Call by the Customer Service Desk inside the store.

3. When picking up, pull up in front of the store. There is no need to call when you arrive at the store – just roll down your passenger window and let us know the name on the order. We will put your order in your vehicle. There is no need to step out of your vehicle.