Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge offers a great array of bright red fruit notes, thanks to the cooler nights in the summer of the growing season, along with a solid backbone of dark fruit and black olive the low yield and increased percentage of Mourvedre contribute. As always, Clos des Papes' rouge delivers a full tannic structure that, again, thanks to the Mourvedre, does not overpower the palate, but glides to the back of the palate with the bright red fruit and spice and then washes back to the front with grip and notes of tobacco and leather.
Blend: 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very different from the 2022 vintage, the 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape from Clos des Papes is deeper and more powerful. It reveals delicate aromas of flowers, iris, lilac and spices, intertwined with lovely peppery notes. Full-bodied, concentrated and dense, it displays the estate’s characteristic tension but with perfectly controlled power that brings a richer, solid core of fruit. The finish is long, ethereal and peppery, complemented by velvety tannins that promise graceful aging. It has a real potential to improve in the cellar.
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Wine Spectator
Elegant and approachable, this stunning red offers seductive aromatics of smoked incense and red tea, with floral high notes, followed by a well of cassis, licorice and red currant flavors coated in graphite. Dusty in feel, with fine-grained tannins bringing structure and textural complexity, while an iron element lingers on the very long finish. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
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Decanter
Defined raspberry and redcurrant fruits, some woody spices in the background. Quite a rounded, fluid style, the acidity is really quite marked this year. Tannins are gentle, and it finishes on raspberry and redcurrant coulis. There's a silky touch on the palate. It's built around the acidity, the tannins are just gently sandy. Good sense of purity, quite a Burgundian vintage. Less Grenache in the blend this year as it was particularly hit by the frost.
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Jeb Dunnuck
One of the standouts in the vintage is the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape, a ripe, round, medium to full-bodied 2021 offering a beautiful array of black cherry and darker berry fruits, ample Provençal spice, and dried flower nuances. Wonderfully textured and balanced, with ripe tannins, as usual, Vincent has made one of the wines of the vintage. This will evolve gracefully for 15+ years.
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James Suckling
A perfumed nose of cherries, dark berries, baking spices, violets, licorice and some incense as well. It's medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. It's well-balanced with finesse and harmony. Crunchy and fresh with a velvety texture and great drinkability. Juicy, precise finish with excellent length. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is made with slightly more Grenache and less Syrah than previous vintages. Intermixing aromas of red and black fruits, dried herbs, white pepper and crushed rocks, this 2021 shows slightly less intensity than either the 2020 or 2019. Full-bodied, elegant and framed by smooth tannins, it is well-balanced by fresh acidity and closes with a savory finish.
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.