Domaine La Casenove - Cuvée Commandant François Jaubert 2010

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

A former press photographer, Étienne Montès took over the family estates, Casenove and Saint-Luc. The La Garrigue and Torrespeyres cuvées form an easily accessible core range. The Commandant-Jaubert cuvée is made when the vintage lends itself to it. It bears the name of a sailor, Etienne's great-great-uncle, who built the estate.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

Formerly a photojournalist with the Gamma agency, Étienne Montes finally settled in Trouillas, to perpetuate the family estate in the foothills of the Aspres, southwest of Perpignan. He produces a varied range of wines with a definite personality, including this cuvée, which is no stranger to our readers. A pure Syrah named after a grandfather of the owner. The intense black color shows a hint of evolution in its highlights. The nose appears concentrated, smoky, with notes of crushed red fruit and licorice, the latter still present and intense on the palate. Pleasantly supple at first, the palate then reveals powerful tannins on a greedy volume, and returns to smoky aromas on the finish. A fine match with game, such as a royal hare.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

This sunny, sanguine expression of pure, full-bodied Syrah, very dense, with dark, candied tones, tar and resin, and an intimidating alcoholic presence, is destined for lovers of sculptural, massive wines.

About the domain :

Etienne Montès, a former press photographer, has been at the head of the family estate since the late 1980s. With a thorough understanding of his terroirs and their potential, he produces a fine range of IGP Côtes Catalanes, from simple fruit wines to large-scale cuvées - such as the famous Commandant Jaubert. The VDNs are very serious, but sometimes find it difficult to moderate their warm character. The whole range is sincere and of a high standard. Enthusiasts will find fine, authentic wines capable of ageing very well in the cellar. However, alcoholic heaviness is recurrent, hindering the finesse of expression and leading us to withdraw the star from the domaine. A few technical and stylistic adjustments would undoubtedly suffice to dust off the style of these materials, whose depth of taste is undeniable.