Tasting Notes and Scores
The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition was even better than when I tasted it last year prior to bottling. A wine of great intensity, it may be the finest Tradition cuvee yet made at Bosquet des Papes. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by sumptuous notes of balsam wood, roasted Provencal herbs/garrigue, sweet black raspberry and blackberry fruit and hints of truffles and lavender. This dense, full-bodied, amazing Chateauneuf is one of the top values of the vintage. Enjoy it over the next 15-20 years. Drink: 2012 - 2032
I have been following the wines of this estate since 1978, when the parents of Nicolas Boiron produced the wines. Nicolas, one of the tallest vignerons in the village, has been in charge for a number of years, and has unquestionably hit pay dirt over recent vintages. While many top-notch wines have emerged from Bosquet des Papes over the last 25 years, I do not think they have ever had a greater vintage than 2010, which has been followed by some of the finest wines of the vintage in 2011. Consumers should be looking out for this domaine’s wines as the quality has soared even higher than it already was. In 34 years of tastings, every time I go back to a wine region I seemingly know extremely well, there are always surprises, both wonderful and disappointing. My recent tasting at Bosquet des Papes ranks as the most remarkable I conducted on my trip to the southern Rhone Valley. For starters, two sleepers of the vintage are the 2011 and 2010 Cotes du Rhones. The Boirons own nearly ten acres of Cotes du Rhone vineyards situated on the other side of Domaine du Marcoux in the northern part of the appellation. Their vines are separated from the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation by a narrow two-lane road. Both Cotes du Rhones are blends of 80% Grenache, 10% Cinsault and 10% Syrah aged in tank. Bosquet des Papes’s 2011 Chateauneuf du Papes are among the great successes of the vintage. Nicolas Boiron told me something I heard from just about every vigneron and oenologist: 2012 was looking perfect. However, as we all remember, so was 2002 until the historic flood hit on September 8 and 9. On September 24, 2011 approximately three inches of rain fell of Chateauneuf du Pape, which will affect the outcome. No 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape a la Gloire de Mon Grandpere was made.
-Wine Advocate #203 Oct 2012
(91-93 pts)
For example, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition. The opaque ruby/purple color offers up a nose of black raspberries, kirsch and some licorice, sandalwood and roasted herbs. It is full-bodied, with impressive purity, freshness and definition, and the great intensity of fruit sets it apart from other top vintages. It should drink well for 15 or more years. Drink: 2011 - 2026
The proprietors of a reasonably large estate of nearly 70 acres, with parcels spread throughout Chateauneuf du Pape, the Boiron family has long been a fixture in the appellation, dating at least as far back as the mid-1800s . Nicolas Boiron, who is running the estate now, is certainly a bigger than life character, both literally and figuratively. He is possibly the tallest vigneron in the southern Rhone. His property is a wonderful source of traditional Chateauneuf du Papes that are consistently well-made and among the best-known of the appellation. Their 2009s are all strong efforts, and their 2010s, to my taste, are the greatest wines they have produced since 1990, even eclipsing their success in the sensational vintage of 2007. The 2010s are probably the finest wines Nicolas Boiron has yet made, equal to the success they had in 1990, and eclipsing the wondrous vintage of 2007.
-Wine Advocate #197 Oct 2011
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