Domaine Paul Autard - Chateauneuf du Pape La Cote Ronde 1998

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Jean-Paul Autard carries on the tradition established by Paul Autard when he founded the domaine in the village of Courthezon in the 1970's.

Autard’s vineyard practice aims to achieve a perfect balance between the soil and the vine. No pesticides, or chemical anti-rot products or fertilizers are used. He is guided by the method known as lutte raisonnee. The health of the vineyard is ensured by meticulous work by hand, such as the removal in May and June of unessential shoots and leaves that would block the proper aeration of the vines. By not allowing moisture to remain on the grapes and leaves, the possibility of problems such as rot and mildew is eliminated.

Autard has 26 hectares of vines, of which 12 are in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and 14 in Cotes-du-Rhone (located at the border of the Chateauneuf appellation in Courthezon.) The aging cellar is a massive, vaulted cave cut into sandstone rock, housing the domaine’s barriques. The Autards feel privileged to have inherited a domaine in which the plantations of different cepages are perfectly adapted to the soil types -- ranging from gallets roulets, pebble and clay, and sandy-clay -- in their various parcels. They aim to get the most out of each variety by vinifying separately and then blending judiciously. The grapes are destalked and fermentation takes place in stainless steel cuves. After the malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred to barriques for aging, about one third of which are new. The Autards have attained international acclaim for their high quality wines and were selected for inclusion by Eric Mancio, sommelier at Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris, in his book on the finest domaines of the Rhone valley.

Cotes du Rhone Rouge

The Cotes-du-Rhone is an excitingly fruity wine, made from 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Counoise and 10% Muscardin.

Autard’s 2005 Cotes du Rhone, made from vines averaging 50 years of age located just outside the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, shows a perfect balance of ripeness and fruity acidity. The wine has a deep, saturated color, a lush texture, and expressive flavors of black cherry, licorice and spices. It is easily Autard’s finest Cotes du Rhone to date.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc

The Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is 1/3 each Grenache, Clairette and Roussanne. 50% is fermentated in new oak barrels. There is lots of fat fruit on the palate, with very round, lovely tree-fruit flavors; it finishes with a pleasant bitter-almond note, typical for these wines. Peaches , pears and almonds. A very interesting wine in which the oak is used to good effect.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The Chateauneuf du Pape is a concentrated and supple, balanced wine. A blend of 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 15% Counoise, it is brimming with dark berry fruit and notes of black pepper and dark chocolate. In the words of Robert Parker, who awards the wine an 88-89 score, it is “fuller bodied, with more glycerin, sweeter blackberry and cherry fruit [than the 1999]…the excellent 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape is a dark ruby-colored effort with plenty of flesh and succulence.” The wine offers a terrific bouquet and flavors of spices and cherry and berry jam. The sweet tannins and fat mid-palate culminate in a dense and powerful finish.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape - La Cote Ronde

Autard’s top wine, the Chateauneuf du Pape La Cote Ronde, comes from a parcel of vines that are between 75 and 90 years old, planted in a stony soil. The grape mix is 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. The Cote Ronde parcel is vinified separately and is aged in 100% new oak barrels. It is an intensely concentrated, lush-textured wine with vivid dark fruit, spice, chocolate and oak flavors. Autard only makes this cuvee in top years. Parker has consistently given the Autard’s Cote Ronde 90+ scores since its inception. The 2000, he comments, “displays an overlay of tannin along with huge quantities of glycerin, licorice-imbued, black cherry and cassis fruit, a creamy texture, and a long, 30-second finish. This (is) a serious, concentrated, muscular Chateauneuf du Pape." (91-93).

1998 Domaine Paul Autard

Chateauneuf-du-Pape - La Cote Ronde

International Wine Cellar / 92 points

January/February 2001

Full bright ruby. Black fruits, cherry, violet and spicy oak on the nose. Silky, sweet and very rich, with surprisingly fresh, sharply defined black fruit, espresso and mineral flavors. Finishes very long, with fine tannins and a note of bitter chocolate. This shows much more Chateauneuf typicity than the '99 version, as there much more material here to support the oak. Very impressive.

- Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar Issue 94 , January/February 2001

 

Wine Spectator / 97 points / Drink 2005-2030

Fantastic red. Big-bodied, velvety and suave, with mocha, spice and gorgeous ripe fruit, it walks a thin line between modern and traditional, delivering mineral and terroir quality thanks to its great concentration. The fruit and tannins are so sweet. Tempting now. 925 cases made.

- Per-Henrik Mansson, Wine Spectator

 

Wine Advocate / 95 points / Drink 2001-2021

One of the 1998s that performed several points above my in-the-bottle report in issue #131, this was one of the surprises among the more modern-styled Chateauneufs. A small percentage of barriques were used in the aging process, resulting in a dense ruby/purple-colored wine with sweet black currant and cherry notes infused with smoke, pain grille, caramel, and garrigue. Full-bodied and luscious, with moderate tannin, it revealed even greater concentration, texture, and depth than it did last year. It is a sumptuous, sexy Chateauneuf du Pape that can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years.

- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Issue 138

 

1998 Paul Autard Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee la Cote Ronde

Paul Autard
A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from

Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France

Source

Reviewer

Rating

Maturity

Current (Release) Cost

Wine Advocate # 138 Dec 2001	Robert Parker	95	Drink 2001 - 2021	$150 (60)
One of the 1998s that performed several points above my in-the-bottle report in issue #131, this was one of the surprises among the more modern-styled Chateauneufs. A small percentage of barriques were used in the aging process, resulting in a dense ruby/purple-colored wine with sweet black currant and cherry notes infused with smoke, pain grille, caramel, and garrigue. Full-bodied and luscious, with moderate tannin, it revealed even greater concentration, texture, and depth than it did last year. It is a sumptuous, sexy Chateauneuf du Pape that can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years. Issue #131 rating: 92

Wine Advocate # 131 Oct 2000	Robert Parker	92	Drink 2000 - 2016	$150 (50)
The sensational, opaque plum/garnet-colored 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape La Cote Ronde displays an expansive nose of tobacco, charcoal, smoke, kirsch liqueur, and blackberries. This full-bodied, large-scaled Chateauneuf possesses sweet tannin, low acidity, and a boatload of glycerin. Anticipated maturity: now-2016. Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; tel. (908) 771-9082, various American importers including Silenus Wines, Boston MA; V.O.S. Selections, New York, NY; Tropical Wines, Pompano Beach, FL; Import!, Madison, WI; and Elliott Bay Distributing, Seattle, WA.

Wine Advocate # 125 Oct 1999	Robert Parker	(90-93)	Drink 2003 - 2018	$150
The spectacular 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape La Cote Ronde boasts a saturated purple color, a touch of new oak in the otherwise black fruit-driven aromatics, layers of unctuously-textured, black fruit flavors, sensational purity, and moderate tannin in the powerful finish. While somewhat of an international style of Chateauneuf du Pape, it retains a distinctive southern Rhone character because the oak is not overdone. A potentially dazzling effort from Autard, this wine will require 2-3 years of cellaring after its release. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018. Importer: New Castle Imports, Myrtle Beach, SC; tel. (843) 497-8625

1998 Paul Autard Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee la Cote Ronde Chateauneuf du Pape - RP rating 95