Winemaker Notes
#35 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2021
Chateau de Vaudieu Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a deep ruby color. The nose reveals a subtle blend of strawberry and bean jam of cocoa, followed by notes of white pepper. On the palate, the attack is fresh thanks to a beautiful concentration of menthol tannins, which evolves into notes of graphite.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This is lovely, with lush waves of creamed plum, raspberry reduction and blackberry compote rolling through in unison, carried by a layer of black licorice while a buried minerality reverberates through the lengthy finish. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The classic 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape from this great estate is a winner and you certainly won’t be disappointed with bottles in the cellar. Lots of black raspberries, ripe cherries, flowery incense, and strawberry notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, wonderfully textured, balanced 2019 that has ripe tannins and outstanding length. A blend of 58% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre, the rest Cinsault, drink it any time over the coming 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Perhaps just a bit more structured than previous years, Vaudieu's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape—a blend of 58% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre and 6% Cinsault—is richly tannic but ripe, while retaining a good sense of freshness. Blueberry and cherry aromas mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is open-knit and slightly coarse in texture but finishes long and harmonious. Give it a year to smooth out a little, and drink it over the following decade. Best after 2023
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.