94 – 2016 Les Halos de Jupiter Chateauneuf du Pape – Adrastée
Made from Grenache planted in La Crau in 1904, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Adrastee is the top wine in the Les Halos de Jupiter lineup this year. It starts off with compelling aromas of black cherries and black raspberries, then delivers a full-bodied palate loaded with concentrated fruit without ever seeming heavy. It’s creamy and lush, yet it manages to stay fresh and vibrant despite the ripeness. Good stuff at a realistic price. Bravo!
92 – 2016 Les Halos de Jupiter Chateauneuf du Pape
The luscious 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape boasts oodles of ripe Grenache fruit (the blend is 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre). Full-bodied, plush and velvety, it delivers big cherry and apricot fruit, a supple, creamy texture and a long finish. It should drink well for a decade or more.
90 – 2016 Les Halos de Jupiter Gigondas
Potentially one of the longer-lived Les Halos de Jupiter offerings, the 2016 Gigondas is a blend of 88% Grenache and 12% Mourvèdre, matured in a combination of tank and 500-liter barrels. Lifted notes of raspberries and cherries appear on the nose, followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with some chewy tannins, ample concentration and a ripe, silky finish. Drink it over the next decade or so.
90 – 2016 Les Halos de Jupiter Vacqueyras
The full-bodied 2016 Vacqueyras is a big wine but not that rich or textured across the mid-palate, perhaps reflecting the year’s generous yields. It’s a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah, vinified entirely as whole clusters, giving it attractive accents of crushed stone and black tea set against a backdrop of ripe black cherries and licorice. Drink it over the next 5 years.
89 – 2016 Les Halos de Jupiter Côtes du Rhône
More concentrated and richer than the Costières de Nîmes, the 2016 Cotes du Rhone—a concrete-aged blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah—combines blueberry and cherry fruit, then adds hints of garrigue and mocha. It’s medium to full-bodied, with just the right dash of astringency on the finish to make a good pairing with burgers and the like.
(94-96) – 2017 Les Halos de Jupiter Chateauneuf du Pape – Adrastée
Because of the year’s low yields, there’s only a tiny amount of the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Adrastee (one demi-muid and one barrique). What there is looks stunning, boasting an incredibly rich, velvety texture, yet remaining floral and fresh, loaded with black raspberry fruit. It should be a beauty, if you manage to grab any.
(91-93) – 2017 Les Halos de Jupiter Chateauneuf du Pape
The prospective blend of the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape looks excellent. As always, heavily tilted toward Grenache, it offers ripe raspberry and apricot fruit notes and boasts a full-bodied, silky, plush mouthfeel.
(89-91) – 2017 Les Halos de Jupiter Gigondas
Similar to the Vacqueyras, the sample of the 2017 Gigondas seemed slightly dull. Perhaps it was simply in need of racking or sulfuring. The quality of the ripe tannins and the floral, garrigue and black cherry notes was still apparent.
(88-90) – 2017 Les Halos de Jupiter Vacqueyras
Despite attractive floral and garrigue-like notes and plenty of raspberry fruit, a tank sample of the 2017 Vacqueyras lacked the vibrancy expected in such a young wine.
(89-90) – 2017 Les Halos de Jupiter Costières de Nîmes
A tank sample of the 2017 Costieres de Nimes looked reassuringly back on form, offering briary notes of black raspberries, a plush, rich texture and a long, chocolaty finish.
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