Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
More color than most pure Roussannes, and plenty of intensity from the ripe fruit and generous oak ageing. Full and opulent with a rich pear flavor – very 'Châteauneuvois'. The acidity is quite surprising for the style, and there’s sandalwood, honey and spice into the long finish. A lovely example of a ripe, oaked Roussanne that finishes long and fresh. Grown on limestone soils, half aged in new barriques, half in used ones.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Vieilles Roussanne is from 100% Roussanne. Its medium gold hue is followed by gorgeous nose of honeyed peach, acacia flowers, toasted bread, and white almonds. I love its overall balance, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, seamless, layered mouthfeel, terrific concentration, and outstanding length.
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Wine Spectator
An enticing white, with simmering, spicy power and dimension. Crisp tangerine acidity powers through the opulent palate, rich with apricot, tropical fruit and buttered brioche. Offers the density and complexity to hold up to the oak, while salty mineral notes add savory depth. Chamomile, sun tea and toasted almond detail the long, delicious finish.
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Vinous
The 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Les Vieilles Roussanne unwinds with distinct herbal tea, cedar, honeysuckle and ripe pear aromatics. Hitting the full-bodied palate with ample concentration, it caps off with endurance on the elegant finish. Although the 2023 doesn’t reach the same heights as the standout 2021, it’s still a delicious effort from the talented Laurent Bréchet.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Vieilles Roussanne reveals a ripe, exotic bouquet of ripe pear, exotic fruits, almonds, honeysuckle, honey, vanilla, oak and white flowers. Full-bodied, round and mouth coating, it's dense with a broad texture and an oaky, long finish. Crafted entirely from Roussanne and matured for nine months in a combination of new (50%) and used barrels (50%), this wine originates from vines grown in chalky soils. With a pH of 3.83, it is approachable now but will continue to develop gracefully over the next 5-10 years.
Full and silky in body but also charmingly crisp, Roussanne is native to the Rhône Valley of France. It is responsible for some of the finest Northern Rhône white wines. Roussanne adds richness and acidity to Marsanne’s soft, fruitiness, making age worthy and highly respected whites. Somm Secret—Roussanne takes its name from the French word, roux, meaning rouge or red because of the berry’s pink glow. In California, virtually all of the 339 acres of Roussanne come from true clones brought over by Tablas Creek and John Alban.
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.