Winemaker Notes
This wine pairs perfectly with everything from veal, pork, and lamb, to stews, to rich seafood dishes.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of tarry, black fruits and plum paste, this has waves of flavor and ripe tannins on the palate that emanate long with red plum fruit flavors and a ripe, open-knit finish.
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Wine Spectator
A old-school version, with bittersweet ganache and roasted tobacco leaf notes forming a frame around the steeped currant and blackberry fruit flavors. Singed bay and leather hints line the grippy finish. Rock-solid. Best from 2017 through 2027. 1,250 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape showed nicely from barrel last year, and didn't disappoint this go around. Offering a classic feel in its Provencal herbs, black raspberry, licorice and peppery bouquet, it's medium to full-bodied, shows the vintage's voluptuous texture and has outstanding length. It already has plenty of appeal, yet it will evolve gracefully for at least another decade.
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.