Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Herbal notes flow throughout the juicy strawberry fruit. The alcohol is present but it doesn't feel excessive, the balance is good. It’s exceptionally long indeed, with vibrancy and freshness. The tannins are incredibly fine, plentiful and mouthcoating. A very complete wine that's hard to fault, showing whole-bunch southern Rhône winemaking at its best. This is pure Grenache grown on sand at the lieu-dit La Guigasse, aged for 24 months in demi-muids.
Barrel Sample: 98 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Guigasse is meatier and more savory, with a gorgeous perfume of mulled red fruits, ground black pepper, and Provençal garrigue. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it delivers fine tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, nicely integrated stems, and a great finish.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Still in tanks, the 2022 La Guigasse - Saint Théodoric exhales aromas of blood orange, mandarin, spices, dark berries, plum and cherries. Medium to full-bodied, fleshier than its entry-level counterparts and tense, it's ample and suave, with a layered, seamless and polished structure framed by delicate, velvety tannins despite a slightly oxidative finish. Crafted entirely from Grenache Noir vines planted on sandy soils and matured for 24 months in large barrels, this is a real success. This is clearly set to be a highlight of Cristia's portfolio in the years to come.
Rating: 94+ -
Vinous
The 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Guigasse wafts from the glass with radiant rose petal, orange blossom, raspberry, dried herbs and licorice. White pepper adds another spicy dimension. Showing a tighter structure compared to the Le Grand Pin from the same vintage, the 2022 La Guigasse is a bold, concentrated and ambitious red tailored for the long haul.
Barrel Sample: 92-94
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.