Winemaker Notes
A bouquet with dominant aromas of red fruits enhanced by a touch of oak from the barrel-contained Syrah gives way to a palate of juicy, red fruits, leather, and a touch of earth. The tannins are harmonious and elegant and the long finish imparts further nuances of earth and leather. This wine is a model of complexity and elegance with an exceptional aging capacity. Another ten years will easily allow this wine to express its fullest potential.
Blend: 70% Grenache, 17% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 3% Cinsault
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Fully ripe but elegantly restrained, this full-bodied red showcases deeply concentrated black plum and cassis flavors edged by sage and bramble, anise and char. Freshly balanced in acidity and framed by fine-grained but penetrating tannins, it should drink at peak from now to 2030 but hold further still.
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Wine Spectator
This features an enticing mix of raspberry, dark cherry and boysenberry coulis flavors that race along, while red licorice, bergamot, red tea and fruitcake notes dart in and out, followed by a stylish and persistent finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Because of coulure in the Grenache, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape contains less of that variety than normal, with correspondingly higher proportions of Mourvèdre and Syrah. Dark berry and spice notes mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is tight, but it retains the estate's hallmark silky texture and plenty of length.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.