Winemaker Notes
With an ample and structured substance, this cuvée is well-balanced, whose notes of black fruits (blackberry, blackcurrant), combined with aromas of violets, cover a long and silky mouth, all in nerve.
Pair this wine alongside dishes based on grilled and simmered meat, leg of lamb with herbs, or stewed beef
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Thrilling in fruit purity and delicately mineral, the standard label or “tradition” bottling of Châteauneuf-du-Pape from La Janasse is a consistent out performer of its peer class. A blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Cinsault matured with a minimal amount of new oak, its throbbing black cherry and plum flavors are powerful yet pristine. Flecked with hints of crushed salt and smoke, it's a silken, delicately tannic sip at peak now–2027 but likely to hold further.
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Decanter
Full but not heavy, all very well integrated and well balanced. A powerful wine, that has everything in quantity: fruit, freshness, tannin, focus, alcohol and length. A muscle car of a Châteauneuf.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape, a classic Southern Rhône readers will love to have in their cellars. Medium to full-bodied, incredibly elegant, and even pretty, it has textbook red and black fruits, peppery garrigue, violets, and spice-like aromas and flavors. It’s always interesting when tasting through the wines from this estate to see the change in the tannins and just overall level of elegance when you move from their Côtes du Rhône to their Châteauneuf du Papes, and this is unquestionably worth seeking out and cellaring. It can be drunk any time over the coming 20 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Black cherries and garrigue appear on the nose of the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape, a blend of about 60% to 70% Grenache, plus lesser amounts of Mourvèdre and Syrah. Full-bodied, richly concentrated and tannic, with a long, mouthwatering finish, it's one entry-level CdP that should be cellared a year or two prior to consumption. Best after 2023
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Vinous
Vivid aromas of strawberry jam, raspberry compote, red and black cherry, blueberry, garrigue, cloves and a splash of mint usher in the 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Full-bodied, flanked by lively acids and wrapped in velvety tannins, it concludes with a distinctively savory finish.
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James Suckling
Very typical Chateauneauf with plenty of ripe red cherries, plus subtle spicy and smoky aromas. Ripe and weighty with a solid base of tannins and minty freshness, this has a lot going for it. We’d be more excited if the finish didn’t have slightly drying tannins.
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.