Winemaker Notes
Pair with roasts, grilled meats, red meats, game and cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I have had some stunning bottles of the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee du Baron, but at other times have had bottles that seem to be slightly less concentrated and more diffuse. I don’t know whether there are different bottlings. The finest bottles (and they are superb) may well be the best wines Fortia has made in over 20 years, deep ruby/plum/purple with a gorgeously sweet nose of a spring flower garden interwoven with licorice, blackberry, sweet cherries, and plums bordering on figs. The wine is opulent, medium to full-bodied, with silky tannin, heady glycerin, plenty of richness and length, and a voluptuous finish. When it is not at its best, it seems to lack a mid-palate, but best bottles represent potentially the finest Fortia made in many years. The top bottles should drink well for 10-12 years. Rating: 92?
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Wine Enthusiast
This is hallowed territory, the home of Baron Roy, who created the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, the first in France. His family still possesses the 25-acre property, and makes great wines. This 2003 is traditional in style, with dark tannins over spicy, jammy fruit and ripeness. This, as is usual from Fortia, is a wine that will age well. Imported by Wines of France.
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Wine Spectator
Packed with bramble, tar, red currant, licorice and cocoa, this muscular Chateauneuf gives way to briary tannins and smoke. Big, fruit-packed finish. Equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Best from 2006 through 2020.
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.