Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Les Hautes Brusquieres 2015

Single vineyard cuvée. The grapes come from the “Brusquières” plot, a plateau located north of the Appellation. This terroir is the archetype of the great Châteauneuf terroirs: pebbles rolled on the surface, clays, sands, and limestone in depth. Tasting Notes: On this terroir protected by the presence of the famous rolled pebbles, this cuvée is made up of Grenache and Syrah. This last grape variety, associated with our traditional know-how, makes this cuvée atypical by the aromatic intensity of black fruits, spices and chocolate notes. The mouth is distinguished by the concentrated aromas of black fruits, spices, leather and wild. Reviews:

96PTS, James Suckling

A masterpiece of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The fruit power leads this wine and lends that effortless sense of power and length that only old vines can muster. Oak adds spice but the blood plum and dark cherry fruits take center stage here. Best from 2020.  

RP 95, Joe Czerwinski

My favorite of the multiple cuvées was the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Hautes Brusquieres Cuvee Speciale. It's the most floral and expressive of the Charbonnière 2015s, with scents of garrigue and violets accenting raspberry and cherry fruit. Full-bodied yet supple, it comes to a finely focused, elegant and lingering finish with no apparent heat. It should drink well for up to 15 years.

The Maret family at Domaine de la Charbonnière is now into their fourth generation, as I met sisters Véronique and Caroline at the estate for a Sunday morning of tasting with their enology consultant, the ubiquitous Philippe Cambie. The estate now consists of 30 hectares in total, with 19.5 of them in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and six in Vacqueyras. Like many vignerons in the Southern Rhône, they are using whole clusters more and more, getting more complexity and freshness into the wines.