Winemaker Notes
All Philippe’s Chateauneuf parcels are at the north edge of the appellation. This Chateauneuf-du-Pape comes from half vines of 45 years old from the La Gardiale and Cabrieres vineyards, and the other half from vines planted in 1904, 1910 and 1920 in the La Guariguette and Les Jaumes vineyards. Harvested by hand, selection on the sorting table with de-stemming done more or less depending on the vintage. No acidification, no sulfites. Aged in concrete tanks and stainless steel tanks. A suitable racking after malo and then the wine is deprived of air to prevent oxidation and the use of sulfites.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
There’s a beautiful purity of fresh, mixed berries, dark plums, deep spices, as well as a gentle, coal-smoke edge. The palate has an effortless, fleshy, fine-grained texture with long, majestic tannins and a long, black-cherry finish Such purity and depth, pulling a lot of flavor with perfectly balanced acidity. Equal parts of old and young vine parcels here. No wood. The real deal.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted out of bottle, the 2016 Châteauneuf Du Pape is brilliant, and certainly one of the finest wines produced from this terrific estate. Loaded with notions of blue fruits, violets, incense, and ground pepper, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. Based largely on old vine Grenache from the northern part of the appellation, brought up all in tank, it tastes like the essence of Provence and is a sensational bottle of wine. It can be drunk today or cellared for two decades.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The full-bodied 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape is a terrific effort from Domaine de Ferrand. Nearly 90% Grenache, with the balance a blend of other permitted varieties, it's concentrated and rich, with hints of allspice, anise and pepper adding nuance to the layers of ripe cherry and apricot fruit. Complex and velvety, this has it all.
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.