R E V U E D E P R E S S E

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1 R E V U E D E P R E S S E Constance, Persévérance, Excellence

2 PPRESSE E S S E Domaine La Barroche Jan/Feb 08 By Josh Raynolds Julien Barrot raises his wines half in barrels of various sizes and half in tank. "Then everything goes into wood to rest before bottling," he explained. Like many growers in Chateauneuf, he keeps his mourvedre separate, raising it completely in barrels "to give it as much air as possible and avoid reduction." Barrot owns land in some of the best sites of the appellation, including a large chunk of grenache vines over 100 years old adjacent to Rayas Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Bright purple. Vibrant red berry scents are complicated by smoky garrigue, anise and baking spices. Fresh and bracing, offering lively redcurrant and raspberry flavors, fine-grained tannins and a long, silky finish. I like this wine's understated quality Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf du Pape Fiancee (a 50/50 blend of grenache and syrah) Youthful purple. Exotically perfumed bouquet of blackberry, kirsch, sandalwood and dried flowers. Fresh dark berry preserve flavors are firmed by solid but harmonious tannins, and pick up a slightly warm note on the close (this is 16.2% alcohol). A serious style, with good finishing grip and length Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf du Pape Pure Bright ruby. Remarkably fresh aromas of sexy raspberry and blueberry preserves complicated by suave baking spice and floral qualities. Deep, sweet and pure, with broad red and dark berry flavors, silky tannins and remarkable persistence. This is gorgeous.

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4 PRESS Mai 2008

5 PPRESSE E S S E 2006 red Châteauneuf - the tasting notes publication date: Jan 14, 2008 We hope you find these notes on a particularly bright spot on the wine globe interesting. More, thoughless comprehensive, tasting notes on other 2006 Rhône wines will follow. Dom la Barroche (Barrot) 2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge 16 Drink Blackish purple. Light, refined nose. A little animal and then rather light and soft for a Châteauneuf. Very pleasant wine for earlyish drinking. Tastes like the offcuts from a Cuvée Speciale rather than an expression in its own right? Dom La Barroche, Fiancée 2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge 18.5 Drink Or perhaps it was this one..? Very dark purplish crimson. Very sweet and luscious with a hint of meat extract. Easy to like. very complete. Succulent and lovely balance between the mass of the fruit and refreshment too. This is 50:50 Grenache:Syrah. Dom La Barroche, Pure 2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge 19 Drink Aha! So here is what the wine above was impoverished for. Well, it s pretty impressive Spicy, heady, very exciting nose. Electricity here lovely ripe flavours and cleverly smooth texture without any apparent deviation from tradition. Really excellent. 99% Grenache in foudres.

6 Default Random Thoughts from the Rhone 1. 28th straight year visiting the RHONE...Two weeks and I suspect 1,500+ wines tasted from 05 and 06...as well as some late releases from 04...not one drop of rain fell...temps over 100 degrees for the first 4 days(8/25-8/28)...harvest for red varietals in most vineyards is still days away... 2.Rhone, especially the south, may be the only region along with Provence and parts of the Languedoc to have a chance at a very special vintage...but it is not over until the "fat lady" sings is an unusual vintage in most of France...certainly no global warming for the summer of mildew/rot is a problem just about everywhere but the great weather the last 10 days and a stationery high pressure area over France is giving even the pessimists a glimmer of hope in the worst hit areas...burgundy,bordeaux,and Alsace... 4.neither 05 nor 06 in the Rhone are "GREAT" years...but some great wines were produced...05 in the north is in the stylistic family of 83,95,and 98...in the south 05 is not at all comparable to 98,00,and 01,but is at least excellent, with some stunning wines in a very structured and tannic style...89 and 95 are vaguely similar..and of course 89 has turned out superbly as will the best of the 2005s is surprisingly good in both sectors(actually great for the white wines)...but 06 is very different...fruit forward...supple and sweet tannins...not very dense or profoundly concentrated..but in the best cellars...gorgeous equilibrium...in the north 91 is a valid comparison...in the south...hard to find a similar vintage..83 and 85 maybe? 5.trying to catch-up on the board...saw the Rayas thread...certainly I was critical of Emmanuel's efforts in 98,99,00...actually very good wines but lacking the excitement of those vintages and his uncle's magic...but he has been at Rayas 10 years now...and the tasting I had with him last week was the finest tasting I have had there since the era of Jacques Reynaud...so don't count him out... 6.the newest super-stars of the south(already apparent if you have read The Wine Advocate the last 3 years) are Clos St. Jean,Saint-Prefert, Cristia,and look out for Barroche...in the north some terrific young producers in Cornas and St. Joseph,but I will write about them in TWA... 7.greatest wine of the trip Guigal La Mouline(ABSOLUTELY MIND-BOGGLING)...most disappointing Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle(red)...that's right...a 2006 white Hermitage La Chapelle exists and ironically it is superb(the last white La Chapelle was made in 1961) lastly...kudos to Pierre-Antoine Rovani..who now seems to live in Burgundy running the harvest for his boss(the owner of Remoissenet)...Pierre has the low-down on just about ever vineyard in Burgundy for 07 and seems to having more fun than he ever did working for that omnipotent,slave-driving tyrant he had as a boss before... kudos to Jean-Bernard Delmas(wine-maker at Haut-Brion ,and Montrose since 2006)...finally getting the highest honor given by the French president...knighthood in the Legion d' Honneur...he has deserved it for at least two decades...and as a man I admire...am thoroughly gratified and happy for him and his family... 9.most amazing sights in the Rhone...no...not the walled city of Avignon...no...not the Pont du Gard...no...not the gorgeous hill towns in the Luberon...but yes...the surreal sight of at least three of the greatest vignerons in the Rhone wearing a SQN Poker Face t-shirt...as the great John Prine sings..."it IS A BIG OLE GOOFY WORLD"...

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