Winemaker Notes
Aromas of marzipan, raisins, cinnamon and cherry that always conjure up Christmas time and its savory winter perfumes steeped in childhood memories.
Serve it with a leg of lamb cooked as slowly as possible so that it truly melts in the mouth.
Blend: 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 5% Cinsault
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Heady notes of black-cherry preserve and spiced plums shaded by hints of sun-scorched garrigue in this supple, polished blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% Cinsault. Fermented in whole clusters and matured 24 months in large, neutral oak, it’s intensely ripe, yet maintains freshness and lift through a long, powerful finish. Drinks beautifully already, but will improve through 2035 and hold further still.
Editors' Choice -
Vinous
Brilliant violet. Pungent red berry and cherry aromas are complemented by emerging floral and succulent herb nuances. Alluringly sweet and juicy on the palate, offering concentrated black raspberry, cherry and candied lavender flavors that deepen through the back half. Finishes supple, spicy and long, with lingering floral and cherry notes and gentle tannic grip.
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Wine Spectator
A sleek, savory-edged version, which is also tightly coiled for the vintage, with red currant, plum and bitter cherry fruit notes lined by tobacco, dried garrigue and lavender. Delivers a nice, piercing iron note on the finish and has some latent depth, so no immediacy is necessary. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault.
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.