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, 1905 and 1910.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This youthful 2020 Chateauneuf is enormously spicy, the red fruits character coming through more prominently on the generous and precisely contoured palate. Deep fine tannins are married to a delicate licorice and earthy character on the ample palate. Then comes the great wave of stony freshness at the extremely long finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I continue to love what vigneron Philippe Bravay accomplishes from his estate in the northern part of the appellation, and his 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is another finesse-driven, incredibly beautiful expression of this magical region. Based on 85% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties, it was partially destemmed and brought up in equal parts stainless steel and concrete tanks. It offers a huge perfume of ripe strawberries and red fruits as well as sappy flowers, garrigue, and Provençal herbs. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, balanced, incredibly seamless Châteauneuf du Pape with no hard edges, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. I’d be a buyer. This will put a smile on your face any time over the coming 10-15 years.
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Vinous
The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a seductive blend of 85% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, 4% Bourboulenc, 3% Syrah and 3% Cinsaut. Aromas of rose water, wild strawberry, red cherry, raspberry and dried herbs usher this full-bodied, perfumed, rich and refined red. Velvety tannins and fresh acidity define this 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The savory finish goes on for well over a minute.
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.