Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Bottled only in magnum, the Châteauneuf Du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum is consistently one the greatest young Grenache releases I taste in any year, and I’m happy to report that the 2017 is no exception. Incredible kirsch liqueur, dried flowers, crème caramel, garrigue, pepper, incense, and herbes de Provence notes all literally soar from the glass, and it has a rare sense of intensity paired with incredible complexity. Full-bodied, remarkably textured, seamless, and multi-dimensional on the palate, it has silky tannins and a huge, opulent style that’s hard to describe. Do your best to give bottles 4-5 years in the cellar, and this singular, magical wine will knock your socks off over the following 15-20 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bottled only in magnum, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum is 100% Grenache aged in new demi-muids. Loaded with vanilla and super ripe cherries, it is the antithesis of what French wines were in the not-too-distant past. Practically dessert in a glass, it's full-bodied, rich, concentrated and velvety, finishing long, plush and satisfying. Purists will no doubt recoil, but this hedonistic wine delivers boatloads of pleasure.
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.