Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A perfumed nose of spiced cherries, forest berries, dried thyme, cloves and a touch of leather, too. It's full-bodied with creamy tannins and texture. Round with a velvety touch and a rich core of raspberries on the center palate. Some spicy character to the juicy finish. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
A blend of 38% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and other permitted varieties, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape aged for one year in a combination of new and old oak barriques, foudre and tronconique tanks. It displays a fragrant perfume of blackberry, raspberry, wild strawberry, licorice, dried herbs, cloves and hints of mint. This is a full-bodied and concentrated red, neatly balanced by lively acidity and framed by velvety tannins, closing with a sapid finish.
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Wine Spectator
Gamy and earthy, with bright cassis and damson plum streaked with smoked meat, singed garrigue, violet and a note of tar. Boasts black tea tannins that hem in the round palate, with an iodine note and acidity providing balance. Shows sweet spices on the finish. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Drink now through 2030.
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.