Winemaker Notes
Medium ruby red color with bluish reflections. Open and pleasant nose of fresh red fruit jam (raspberry and redcurrant) and notes of sweet liquorice. Delicately spicy. The palate is full-bodied and generous, with fat and then tension. Nice volume of midpalate. The tannins are dense and fine, chiseled, and carry the wine on the finish. We find the same aromatic register of the nose. A tasty and elegant wine.
Blend: 45% Grenache, 45% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Tradition showed well, with bright, clean cherry and raspberry fruits as well as some textbook garrigue and peppery herb nuances. Medium-bodied, supple, and nicely textured, it should be another solid effort.
Range: 90-92 -
Wine Spectator
Supple and engaging, with steeped cherry and cassis melded with ganache and woodsy savory bass notes. Grilled orange peeledged acidity brings good energy to the warm, ripe profile, while a refreshing menthol note marks the nicely melded close. Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah. Drink now through 2030. 8,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.
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James Suckling
A rather elegant Chateauneuf in spite of the rich red fruit grenache character. A hint of geranium. Moderate tannins and a lively candied-citrus acidity for this context. Good length.
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.