Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
My favorite wine in the world may be Clos Saint-Jean’s 100% Grenache Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum, which comes from old vines planted between 1902 and 1905 in the La Crau sector. The 2010 (820 magnums produced) hit 16.7% natural alcohol, but one would never know that from the wine’s intensity. This magical wine boasts an inky/ruby/purple color, astonishing richness and an extraordinary perfume of black raspberries, blackberries, licorice, lavender and loamy soil. So pure, unctuous and viscous, it is over-the-top in richness and intensity. Like all of the world’s greatest wines, it is an intellectual and hedonistic beauty that is capable of pure magic in its aromas and flavors. It should hit full maturity in about a decade, and last at least three decades thereafter.
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Wine Spectator
A lush, heady style, with raspberry coulis, blackberry paste and plum pâte de fruit notes layered with toasted wood spice and baker's chocolate notes. The finish picks up more and more grip with air in the glass. Will benefit from cellaring.
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.