Lucien et André Brunel Les Cailloux Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Bright ruby. Highly floral bouquet of red and dark berry preserves, potpourri, smoky minerals and white pepper. Tangy red berry flavors give way to deeper cherry and blackberry in the middle palate, with exotic floral pastille and Asian spice qualities adding complexity. Very suave wine with a seamless, silky texture and strong finishing sweetness, not to mention impressive clarity.

Two brilliant successes are Brunel’s cuvees of 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape. The 2007 Les Cailloux Tradition (a blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 12% Syrah, and 3% other authorized varieties) comes from 60-year-old vines and is aged completely in tank except for the Mourvedre and Syrah components, which are kept in small barrels. Explosively fruity, this dense plum/purple-colored wine displays grilled meat notes intermixed with Provencal herbs, spice box, black cherry and black currant, in addition to having a lush, opulent texture. The finish goes on and on, and the wine is beautifully pure. It can be drunk now or cellared for 12 or more years.

This gushes with blueberry, fig and black cherry fruit, all seamlessly woven with silky, fine-grained tannins. The stylish finish lets spice and incense notes check in, while buried minerality adds length. Drink now through 2019.

The beautiful dark ruby/ purple colored 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits velvety tannins, a splendid opulence, broad, full-bodied flavors, superb purity, and the vintage’s tell-tale freshness and vibrancy. Les Cailloux’s traditional cuvee of Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 12% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault, aged in both tank and small barrels. It is a big wine (much in the style of the 1990), but the freshness of the fruit and aromatic complexity are more reminiscent of a vintage such as 2001. This 2007 should drink beautifully for 12–15 years. The brilliant Andre Brunel, and before him, his father, have done conscientious work in Chateauneuf du Pape for many years. Shrewd consumers have long flocked to Andre Brunel’s Cotes du Rhones as they are loaded with personality and quality. Moreover, they sell for a fraction of the price of his Chateauneuf du Papes.