2021 Clos Solene Cuvée Jean
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Cuvee Jean (there's 3% Viognier) comes all from the Bien Nacido Vineyard and was aged in 40% new, 300-liter barrels. It has some crazy Bien Nacido white and black peppery notes as well as beautiful black and blue fruits, some gamey, bacon fat, cedar, and violet notes, medium to full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's a brilliant Syrah from this talented winemaker that has world-class character.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Cuvée Jean is dark and spicy in the glass, with peppery herbs, bacon fat and black currants forming its classic Rhône-like bouquet. This sweeps across the palate with grace, mixing ripe black fruits and mineral tones under an air of violet inner florals. The 2021 tapers off long and savory, just gently tannic, leaving a mentholated freshness and a pleasantly bitter twang that lingers on. It's fantastic and built to last. The Cuvée Jean is a co-fermented blend of 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier aged for 22 months in 300-liter barrels (40% new French oak and 60% once-used oak).
The 2021 Cuvée Jean is a blend of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier. It's savory and reminiscent of the Rhône on the nose, with scents of chargrilled meats, olives, garrigue and cracked pepper complementing a deep core of blackcurrant fruit. The full-bodied palate has a concentrated core of fruit, offering tempered ripeness and stony mineral character. It has a structural harmony of velvety tannins and vibrant acidity and a long, layered finish. It will benefit from several years in bottle.
The 2021 Cuvée Jean, a co-fermented blend of 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, is dark and spicy in the glass, with peppery herbs and crushed blackberries forming its bouquet. This opens with a pretty inner sweetness that gives way to crisp black fruits and mineral tones. It finishes long, potent and remarkably fresh, leaving a tinge of edgy tannins to resonate. The Cuvée Jean is aged for twenty-two months in 300-liter barrels, 40% new French oak and 60% in once-used oak.