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2017 M. Chapoutier St. Joseph Le Clos

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

June 18, 2023 - $81

Estimate

RATINGS

99Jeb Dunnuck

Blackcurrants, cassis, kirsch, ground herbs, beef blood, burning embers, and new leather notes...incredible depth and richness, an Hermitage-like power and opulence, and a great finish.

96The Wine Advocate

Loaded with dense, ripe fruit from its facing slopes, it should prove to be a great, long-lived wine. Plum and blueberry notes merge seamlessly with crushed stone to create a concentrated, full-bodied wine, with terrific structure and length.

94Wine Spectator

This shows a mix of pepper, mesquite and bay leaf notes out front, followed by a core of steeped plum and blackberry fruit. Ends with dark humus details through the finish, giving this an old-school feel.

94Vinous / IWC

Smoke- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits, licorice and potpourri on the intensely perfumed nose. Plush, sweet and broad on the palate, offering sweet blackberry, cassis, cola and exotic spice flavors underscored by a core of juicy acidity. Shows superb depth as well as energy and finishes extremely long and supple, with rounded tannins that build steadily and add shape and gentle grip to the wine's vibrant dark fruit.

94James Suckling

Beautifully aromatic dried flowers, graphite and roasted red berries with roasted meat and grilled peaches. The palate has a smooth, deeply ripe core of dark berries with supple and succulent tannins.

17+ Jancis Robinson

Strongly reductive nose with a stinky rubbery character but loads of violet fragrance and very bitter chocolate character.

PRODUCER

M. Chapoutier

Founded in 1808, M. Chapoutier is one of the most renowned producers of the Rhone Valley. Though the producer was for much of its history a negociant known for decent but unremarkable wines, the newest generation of the Chapoutier family to run the business, Michel Chapoutier, has since the early 1990s turned the estate into a star. Michel embraced biodynamic viticulture in 1989, completely renovated the cellars and upgraded the elevage by using small oak barrels. With 151.9 acres of vineyards divided between the north and south regions of the Rhone Valley, M. Chapoutier is also one of the largest producers. Nearly 120,000 bottles total are produced each year. The prestige cuvees at the top of the M. Chapoutier line are neither fined nor filtered, giving them a richness and great concentration. Grapes grown by the estate are Syrah, Marsanne, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne. The vines average between 50 and 100 years old.

REGION

France, Rhône Valley, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

TYPE

Red Wine, Syrah (Shiraz)

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.