Domaine Chante Cigale Chateauneuf-du-Pape Extrait Blanc 2011
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2019-
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Domaine Chante Cigale's history starts in 1874 when Hyppolite Jourdan choose to name the 28 hectares family property Clos Chante Cigale.
In 1936, CNP was declared the 1st AOC in France and all the producers then started to structure themselves to face up to the new challenges. At that time, Paul Jourdan was at the head of the family estate and he decided to rename it “Domaine Chante Cigale”
The Domaine Chante Cigale is one of the most important family estates of Chateauneuf du Pape. Alexandre Favier is now carefully running the winery by keeping up with the winemaker’s tradition of the family.
The Estate stretches over more than 40 hectares on the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, divided into 45 parcels, scattered all over this exceptional terroir. The diversity of its soils and of the grape varieties allows the elaboration of unique and exceptional wines. Alexandre Favier and his team are taking good care of every step of the wines production themselves, respecting this way the spirit of the Domaine.
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.