Winemaker Notes
Blend: 47% Roussanne, 38% Grenache Blanc, 13% Clairette, 2% Bourboulenc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Tons of hazelnuts, white flowers and vanilla in the nose of this very expressive white Chateauneuf. Rich and texturally complex palate with plenty of tension that’s driven by the mineral core. So much energy at the bold and very long finish.
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Decanter
There are nutmeg and cedar touches to the restrained pear fruit here. Medium-bodied, elegant and refined on the palate, the oak is used with great skill to shape the wine, which is classically styled, precise and highly enjoyable. Organically grown across three lieux-dits: La Crau, La Nerthe and La Rigole. Matured in oak barrels of various sizes and aged for six months, including 20% new oak.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe and fresh, with bright melon, white peach and yellow apple notes laced with honeysuckle and verbena. Just a kiss of meringue on the finish completes this tasty offering. Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc. Drink now
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Vinous
Lively aromas of honeysuckle, yellow apple, white peach, cedar and discreet vanilla introduce the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. It is a medium to full-bodied, discreetly oily-textured white with a juicy finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
La Nerthe's 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc—mainly Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, with smaller amounts of Clairette and Bourboulenc—offers attractive notes of wood spice, honeyed pear and tangerine. Fermented and matured in a mix of barriques, demi-muids and tanks, it's medium to full-bodied, plump, silky textured and long. Overall, it's harmonious despite being a bit oaky, charming and easy to drink. Best after 2021
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.