Winemaker Notes
This Chateauneuf-du-Pape's nose is full of fruit and spices. The palate is fleshy with notes of red and black fruits enhanced with very fine tannins. Harmonious, balanced and full of character, the result of a complex blending.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape displays pungent strawberry jam, licorice, cured meat and crushed violets. Medium- to full-bodied, concentrated and inviting, the 2022 is enveloped in polished tannins. Barrel Sample: (90-93)
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Wine Enthusiast
Black cherry, rose, wild thyme, vanilla and baking spice create an alluring bouquet. The palate is focused and dark, with grippy tannins and layers of clove and oak spice. Though richly textured, this wine remains tightly wound and not yet fully expressive
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James Suckling
A delicious, vivid and lively blend of 65% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% mourvedre and 5% cinsault. Aromas of cherries, red berries, dried herbs and baking spices follow through to a full body with fine tannins. Plenty of energy here, with a succulent, fruity and spicy finish. From organically grown grapes.
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Wine Spectator
Shows classic Chateauneuf charm, with a warm gush of red fruit flanked by charred garrigue, anise and lavender, all melded with a spine of cast iron. Starts off silky in feel; then, grippy tannins take hold on the long finish, marked by dusty earth. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. Best from 2026 through 2038. 5,000 cases made, 1,220 cases imported.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape is delicious, with the sunny, red-fruited, spicy style of the vintage front and center. Ripe raspberries, savory garrigue, and peppery sandalwood notes give way to a medium-bodied, nicely balanced, elegant 2022 that has the balance and structure to evolve nicely over the coming 8-10 years or so. The blend is 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Cinsault, and it was brought up in foudre, demi-muid, and concrete.
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.