Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Always all Grenache, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Amiral G. is another gem from this incredible estate that brings more opulence and sexiness than just about every other wine in the vintage. Ripe black cherries, licorice, roasted Provençal garrigue, and ground pepper are just some of its nuances, and it's full-bodied, with a pure, utterly seamless mouthfeel, silky tannins, and a great, great finish. This is pure Provençal goodness that's already hard to resist yet will evolve for 15-20 years in cold cellars.
Rating: 97+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Marked by intense florals set against notes of pomegranate and red berries, Vaudieu's 100% Grenache 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Amiral G is full-bodied, almost creamy in texture, concentrated, ripe and rich. Tasted blind, I wrote, "I just like the flavors of #152 more (which was the L'Avenue), but this is right up there." Both are fine examples of Grenache from this serious estate.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe, fresh and very direct, with a focused beam of plum puree flanked by a red and black licorice thread that pumps through nicely. Reveals a deeply embedded graphite spine that keeps this grounded, while sweet tobacco, shiso leaf and ganache accents infuse the finish. Best from 2025 through 2040. 950 cases made, 100 cases imported.
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James Suckling
A rich and spicy wine with fine tannins and some good stony minerality on the expansive, but lively palate. The fine tannins build nicely on the well-structured finish. Drink or hold.
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.