Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Clos du Mont Olivet Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc exudes aromas of orange rind, green apple, white flowers, honeydew. Plush yet vibrant; everything in perfect harmony.
Blend: 40% Clairette, 30% Roussanne, 10% Grenache Blanc, 20% of Bourboulenc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan and Clairette Rose
Pair this wine alongside fresh shellfish or rich white fish; truffled dishes (such as risotto).
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Marked on the nose by scents of crushed stones, peppery spice and honeyed pineapple, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a broad, generous example of the appellation's white wines. Full-bodied and nearly creamy in texture, it adds hints of underripe peach, ripe pear and lime on the mouth-coating finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of pretty pear, lemon blossom, spice, and a kiss of minerality emerge from the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc from Mont-Olivet. It hits the palate with medium-bodied, richness, a pure, elegant texture, nicely integrated acidity, and a juicy finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It’s a beautifully done white made in a relatively forward, fleshy, already delicious style, and I suspect it’s best enjoyed over the coming 2-4 years.
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.