Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Equal parts fresh, high-toned fruit and warm earth, this has layers of crushed cherry, cassis and vanilla-edged plum flavors seamlessly woven with hay, crushed rock and dried flowers. Supple and approachable, with juicy acidity and a fine-boned structure keeping this energetic and vibrant. Grenache and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2038.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sourced from the les Bedines lieu-dit and a blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres shows lovely purity of fruit, with cherries and raspberries chasing around in a crescendo of red fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, silky, fine and elegant, with a lingering finish.
-
Vinous
The medium- to full-bodied 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres unwinds with ripe red fruits, licorice, black cherry and dried herbs. Spicy and inviting, the 2020 is elegantly framed by polished tannins.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A step up, the 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Safres offers a similar translucent ruby hue as well as a pretty nose of framboise and strawberry-like fruits supported by notes of loamy soil and flowers. It's medium-bodied and finesse-driven, with light tannins.
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.