Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Maret family fashioned a trio of terrific 2005s and the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape les Hautes Brusquières Cuvee Speicale seems to rate higher every time I taste it. Roasted herbs, black licorice, black cherries, smoke and spice all emerge from this full-bodied, pure, seamless and balanced style on the palate. Made from 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah and aged in a combination of oak tanks, stainless steel and larger barrels.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another stunning wine from this producer. The 2005 Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale Les Hautes Brusquières shows ripe, rich fruit, a full bodied, stunningly textured palate and a long finish. This has a fairly high percentage of syrah (40%) and shows slightly more dark fruit and spice notes then the V.V.
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Wine Spectator
This shows some brawn, with coffee, cedar and game hints mingling with the dark cherry, tobacco and mineral notes. Braised chestnut and bittersweet cocoa frame the finish, which has solid grip.
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.