Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A seductive, smoky red, with real depth to its savory character. The dried strawberry leather and crunchy cherry fruit profile remains fresh and vibrant, studded with sanguine notes of smoked meat and dusty earth layered atop smoldering iron. The tannins are sculpted to a fine grain, bringing elegance to the texture. Delicious now, this has years ahead for those with the patience to cellar. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2026 through 2040.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes is another brilliant wine from this estate. Classic Provençal garrigue, pepper, leather, and assorted darker cherry and blackberry fruit all define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, with a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It certainly offers pleasure today, but it’s going to evolve gracefully over the coming 10-15 years. This old-vine cuvée is 86% Grenache and 7% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre coming from the Barbe d'Asne, Les Brusquières, Mont-Redon, and Pignan (nord) lieux-dits. It was not destemmed and was brought up in a mix of foudre, demi-muids, and concrete tanks.
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James Suckling
A textural, velvety and vibrant red made of 80% grenache, 10% syrah and 10% mourvedre. Aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, dried thyme, smoke and a touch of licorice. Full-bodied with plush tannins. Dense with a bright core of fruit and a kick of spices. Vivid and energetic with a long finish. Try after 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Crafted from old vines planted on several terroirs, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Chante le Merle Vieilles Vignes reveals an elegant, deep bouquet of dark wild berries, licorice, violets, wild strawberries and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and textured, it's polished and enrobing with a delicate tannic frame, concluding with a long, ethereal finish inflected with dark berries. Matured for 15 months in foudres (60%), large barrels (30%) and concrete tanks for the rest, it was vinified without any destemming.
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Vinous
Checking in at 15.5% alcohol, the delicious 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes is a blend of 86% old-vine Grenache, 7% Syrah and 7% Mourvèdre. It enters the stage with prominent crushed violets, strawberry compote, licorice and black cherry. Meaty components add more nuance. Full-bodied and flamboyant, the 2022 comes across as modern and polished. Enveloped in ripe tannins, it culminates in a bold finale.
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.