2016 Alain Jaume & Fils Vacqueyras Ch Mazane
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Tasting notes
Brilliant ruby-red. Fresh red and blue fruits, baking spices, licorice and a hint of garrigue on the perfumed nose. Rich yet lively in style. Sweet boysenberry and cherry flavors flesh out steadily on the back half. Shows excellent clarity and spicy lift on the gently tannic finish, which hangs on with strong, floral-tinged persistence.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Slightly lighter on its feet, with more red fruits, cassis, garrigue, spice, and subtle minerality, the 2016 Vacqueyras Chateau Mazane stays incredibly light and graceful on the palate and has incredible class. Nuanced, elegant and lightly textured, yet brilliantly concentrated and full-bodied, it's another undeniably delicious, seriously good wine from this estate. The blend is 60% Syrah, 30% Syrah and the rest Mourvèdre and it has a decade of terrific drinking ahead of it.
60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. Leather, black cherry, furry tannin with vice-like grip on the palate. Attractive floral fragrance on the finish. (RH)
Unlike the 2015, the 2016 Vacqueyras Chateau Mazane skirts the very edge of over-ripeness. It does show lovely floral garrigue notes, but the fruit is also plummy and, at times, veers into the realm of warm chocolate fudge. Full-bodied and richly concentrated, I'd still opt to drink this over the near term.