Winemaker Notes
This wine wears a golden robe and bursts with a lively mix of citrus, honey, and anise, like a sunny picnic in Provence. On the palate, it's rich and savory, with a whisper of petrol and a long, citrusy finish – perfectly aged and ready to party for the next decade.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Settled and harmonious, with touches of dried pear and quince. Fresh, on its rails, not as explosive as it was just after bottling, showing lovely weight and size, plus touches of hazelnut to the waxy quince and anise flavours. This is dry and broad, with a little chalkiness to the texture. Equal amounts of Clairette, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Picardan, Piquepoul Blanc and Roussanne, all co-fermented in stainless steel, no malo and no oak ageing.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Clos des Papes's white is roughly equal parts Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul and Roussanne, but the exact proportions vary from year to year. The 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc has less Bourboulenc and Picpoul. Tangerine and lime aromas lead the way, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, plump and silky, perhaps a bit lower acid than the 2017 yet still fine, elegant and lingering on the finish.
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.