Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Starting with the whites, and always one of the top releases in any vintage, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a blend of 38% Roussanne, 28% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette and the balance Bourboulenc that’s aged close to 70% in tank (on lees) and 30% in 2-3 year old barrels. Gorgeous all around, with notions of white currants, buttered citrus and tinges of honey and flowers, it is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and supple, yet never loses focus or purity and has vibrant acidity. While superb now (and as always, I recommend drinking the whites within a couple years of the vintage), this cuvee can certainly age and evolve gracefully. Drink now-2017.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and energetic, with star fruit, melon rind, chamomile and white peach notes racing along, backed by fine minerality on the finish. Should open up with some cellaring. Drink now through 2016.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
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.