Winemaker Notes
Black cherries, red raspberries and hints of plum combine on the nose with hints of garrigue and licorice, while the full-bodied palate is silky and elegant.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Pretty, with inviting ripe cherry and kirsch notes, all firmly grounded by iron and fine-grained tannins. Vibrant, with refreshing details of lavender and garrigue through the elegant finish, which is marked by bitter cherry pit and tobacco leaf. Harmonious and fresh. Drink now through 2032.
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Decanter
Lovely purity of black cherry fruit, lifted by a little raspberry. Fairly full-bodied, with lovely fine tannin and bright acidity. Well balanced and structured for a pure Grenache, which should age with interest. Grown on the sandy soils of La Crau and Font du Loup, partly destemmed. Fermented in concrete, aged in foudres and demi-muids. Just 6,500 bottles produced.
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Jeb Dunnuck
All Grenache (from three parcels) raised in one foudre, the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape has a Rayas-like floral character as well as a beautiful core of framboise and wild strawberry fruit. With medium-bodied richness, fine, polished tannins, lots of spice and Provençal nuances, and a great finish, this classy, elegant Châteauneuf Du Pape will drink well for 10-12 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape is a fine effort, silky and elegant, reflecting the vintage as well as one of its two vineyard parcels, a sandy spot not far from Font du Loup. It's medium to full-bodied, with hints of licorice joining notes of raspberry compote and warmed strawberries, yet it finishes long and dry.
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James Suckling
A seductive nose of raspberries, strawberries, mild spices, dried herbs and some bark. Full body with fine, firm tannins. Dark cherries and some inky character on the palate with a chewy finish.
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.