2022 Clos Solene Hommage A Nos Pairs Reserve
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The 2022 Hommage à nos Pairs Reserve provides a Paso Robles-based counterpoint to the Bien Nacido-based Cuvée Jean bottling, blending 96% Syrah with 3% Viognier and 1% Grenache from the Clos Solène estate, Hoyt and G2 Vineyards. As noted in my review from barrel last year, the nose is suave and seductive, laden with savory, dark fruits and floral accents framed by new leather and exotic spices. The palate is among the more ripe and forward of the Clos Solène 2022s, exuding a glossy, polished texture that retains structure and backbone. The finish is long and precise, propped up by beautiful balancing acidity and a refined frame of powdery tannins.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Moving to the Syrah-dominated releases, the 2022 Hommage A Nos Pairs reveals darker berries, pepper, candied violets, and graphite. Based on 96% Syrah, 3% Viognier, and 1% Grenache, aged in 55% new French 300-liter barrels for 22 months, it's rich, medium to full-bodied, has a beautifully concentrated, layered mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish. This smoky, complex, meaty Syrah is best enjoyed over the coming 10-12 years. Drink 2025-2037. One of the top talents in Paso Robles, Guillaume Fabre worked at L’Aventure before launching Clos Solène in 2007. About seven years ago, he and his wife Solène bought a thirty-acre limestone site on Willow Creek Road at roughly 1,300 feet; it is farmed organically, and a new cave system under the property is nearly finished. Estate fruit now anchors the lineup, but it is supplemented by parcels from James Berry, G2, Hoyt, and Bien Nacido in Santa Maria Valley. The wines span the Roussanne-based Hommage Blanc, Grenache-led El Toro and Harmonie, Syrah-focused Hommage à Nos Pairs and Bien Nacido Cuvée Jean, the Cabernet-driven L’Insolent, the mixed variety Fleur de Solène, and the barrel selection Mon Millésime. Reds generally age 16-22 months in varying levels of new French oak. These are classic, impeccably made wines, rich yet structured, with seamless textures and beautiful overall balance, and Clos Solène is becoming a reference point for age-worthy wines from the region.
Deep purple. A touch of gravelly reduction on the nose and dark savoury fruit. Heaps of fine-grained tannin. Needs time. Tense acidity. Sanguine saltiness on the finish. (SCJ)
The 2022 Hommage à Nos Pairs entices with its lift and grace, as pretty blue and purple florals give way to crushed blackberries and hints of lavender pastille. Vibrant acidity adds a lovely energy as silken textures envelop the palate in rich primary fruit. It's incredibly long and staining yet only gently tannic as a flowery concentration lingers on. Tasted from barrel.