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CDP Deus Ex Machina, Clos Saint-Jean 2007

Tasting Notes

I have tasted the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus-Ex Machina three times from bottle. On two of the three times I thought it was the single greatest red wine I have ever tasted. The third time it was merely perfect. Made from 60- to 100+-year-old vines (60% tank-aged Grenache and 40% Mourvedre aged in new and one-year-old oak barrels), from yields no larger than one half ton of fruit per acre, it boasts a saturated purple color as well as a surreal concoction of heavenly aromatic delights (creme de cassis, kirsch liqueur, licorice, spring flowers, spice box, and smoke). The wine hits the palate with an extraordinary seamless display of incredibly rich, pure fruit, and a full-bodied, multilayered texture that nearly defies belief. It is almost an insult to try to articulate what this wine tastes like. My tasting notes ended with the words "great, great, and great." This is a remarkable achievement even for such a famous vintage, and this 2007 is destined to be one of the legends of the new century. The finish lasts over 60 seconds, and the wine has the accessibility to be appreciated now, but it will not hit its peak for another 5-7 years, and will last at least 25+ years. Bravo to proprietors Pascal and Vincent Maurel as well as their consulting genius, Philippe Cambie, who seems to have a very strong emotional attachment to the Maurel family as well as to their vineyards.

100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (185), October 2009

This offers the heady, opulent fig, crushed plum and boysenberryfruit of the vintage, but allies it to a racy graphite and incenseinfusedstructure. Superlong, with black tea, warm fig reduction,chocolate and roasted apple wood notes that really stretch outthe finish. Great underlying acidity holds it all together. Very impressive.Best from 2010 through 2030.

96
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, September 2009

Then there is the opaque ruby/purple-colored 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus-Ex Machina, a blend of 60% Grenache (aged in foudre) and 40% Mourvedre (aged in small barrels), all from very old vines on La Crau. The Mourvedre component gives the Deus-Ex Machina a more meaty, animal (in a good sense) style, but the huge amounts of blackberry and kirsch-like fruit are flamboyant. The wine is backward, powerful, full-bodied, and more of a long-term proposition than the four other cuvees. It possesses massive concentration and depth as well as extraordinary balance, freshness, and laser-like focus. This amazing effort should prove to be a modern day Chateauneuf du Pape legend. Drink it over the next 20-30 years.

98/100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (179), October 2008
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.