Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
the 2022 Châteauneuf du Pape La Garriguette comes from the oldest vines of the estate (planted in 1904 and 1920) located in the Cabrière and Berthaude lieux-dit, which are both a mix of sandy and clay soils. The blend is 75% Grenache, 10% each Syrah and Mourvèdre, and the rest Bourboulenc which was 60% destemmed and aged just under two years in a mix of concrete and stainless steel. It tastes like the essence of Provence and has a kaleidoscope-like array of red and black cherries, framboise, sweet herbes de Provence, ground pepper, and spring flower-like nuances. Incredibly layered and complex aromatically, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate and flawlessly balanced, with a light, elegant mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's one of those perfumed, complex, and layered Châteauneuf du Pape that brings remarkable intensity and depth while at the same time staying perfectly balanced, light on its feet, and elegant.
-
James Suckling
A seductive, round and velvety red based on 85% grenache, mourvedre, bourboulenc, syrah, cinsault and others. The nose reveals notes of wild berries, currants, candied cherries, wild herbs and stones. It's full-bodied with finely grained tannins. It has a delicate touch to it, elegant, balanced and silky. Controlled power with bright fruit and a fresh, pure finish. Long and developing, with plenty of pepper and vibrancy. Try from 2027.
-
Decanter
Sloe and elderberry with liquorice notes, quite a savoury expression. Soft, smooth, yielding, with ripe tannin and well-balanced acidity. Will drink well young and into the medium term, in a savoury, food-friendly style.a
-
Vinous
Licorice, ripe red fruits, dried herbs and a pinch of violets launch the 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Compared to a barrel sample tasted earlier this year, the once grippy tannins have evolved toward more refinement. Balanced by bright acidity, the full-bodied 2022 should start showing at its prime with an additional four years of bottle-aging. That said, it cannot compete with the more complete 2020 version.
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.