The world`s most famous winemaker has been involved in hundreds of productions, working with wineries in every corner of the globe. But Clos de los Siete holds the most special place in his heart, except for his "paternal" Chateau le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, Bordeaux.
Michel Rolland had long been looking for a good vineyard in Argentina. Since 1988, when he first arrived in the country, he had been convinced that it had the terroir to produce excellent wines.
However, the problems didn`t end; they only began when he finally found a piece of land filled with clinkers, clay, and sand in the Uco Valley. Buying this blessed plot at the foot of the Andes at an altitude of 1200 meters was reminiscent of a deal with a livestock dealer, where you say, "Put me 2-3 steaks", and he replies, "You have to buy the whole animal"! Thus, the owner`s insistence on selling the entire 8500 acres and not just the 1000 that Rolland wanted forced the demonic Frenchman to hum "With a little help from my friends" and many of his friends from Bordeaux to rush - as in the case of Joe Cocker - for help.
Seven famous families decided to share the land, so in 1998, one of the most unique projects in world wine took shape under the name Clos de los Siete. Four wineries were built within the boundaries of Argentina`s largest premium wine vineyard. Each produces its wines under its name, but sports wizard Michel Rolland blends a portion of each vintage to produce the 1 million bottles that make up Clos de los Siete`s annual production.
The varietal composition also reflects the vineyard`s planting, in which Malbec could not but dominate—more than 50%—with the remainder divided between all the Bordeaux varieties and some Syrah. From the first vintage, 2002, to the most recent 2021, the wine was aged for about 11 months in barrel and tank, with the percentage of new wood decreasing over the years.
Quality stability, stylistic consistency, concentration, length and excellent use of oak are virtues in every bottle that carries the gold star, as demonstrated in a unique vertical tasting of 5 vintages of this beautiful wine.
The Clos de los Siete 2015 (8.5/10) opened the dance, and despite being almost 10 years old, it shows off the sweet fruit, ink, and tar characteristics of its bouquet. The minimal notes of coffee and leather and the velvety tannins are the only clues to its age, but the wine`s overall presence confidently allows it to stay in the cellar for another 5-7 years.
Rolland aimed for medium-term ageing for this wine, but the result pleasantly contradicts him, especially in a cold, rainy year like 2016 (9/10). The top wine in the tasting has impressive length and freshness of cassis, a barely balsamic character, and vigour that give it potential for at least another 10 years!
This vintage`s production was the smallest in history, as frost destroyed much of it, but the 2018 Clos de los Siete (8.5/ 10) does not suffer in quality. It is barely super-dense and particularly rich in body, even if the nose—filled with black fruit and molasses jams—is the most shy and the barrel still undigested.
On the contrary, the excessive heat has probably left its imprint in 2020 (8/10). Not that it lacks dense fruit or generous character, but this is the tannicest, warmest and shortest in the mouth. Of course, all this will only bother a small portion of wine lovers and only if they have other vintages to try!
But the awesome Clos de los Siete 2021 (9/10) will certainly not bother anyone, as it is a tremendous effort from a classic vintage. It`s still closed, not allowing the super-dense bouquet of blackberry, cassis and mint to impress in intensity, but it has lovely freshness and exemplary use of the barrel. A year that will thrill at least until 2040...
Clos de los Siete is a unique project with an exceptional wine as its fruit. This red blend possesses the vast majority of the gifts found in the top red wines of the southern hemisphere but offers these qualities at a price - a real bargain. Of course, if Rolland`s wines are not to your taste, this wine will not change your mind, but if you want to enjoy the unsurpassed vinous generosity at which the Rolland style excels, you will find in Clos de los Siete, its most authentic and highly priced expression.
Clos de los Siete is available from Cellier Wine & Spirits.
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