Winemaker Notes
An intense and deep ruby red color, aromas of red and black fruits, violet and licorice on the nose. On the palate the wine is dense, fat and rounded with a long, fruity finish.
Pair with red meats, sauce dishes, game meat (venisson, woodcock, wild boar) and semi mature cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée De La Reine Des Bois is based on 75% Grenache, 10% each Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest Counoise and Vaccarèse. It's not massive yet just exudes class and elegance, with both red and black fruits that give way to more spice, peppery garrigue, and leather, with classic background licorice and black olive notes. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant, with silky tannins, this brilliant Châteauneuf du Pape will evolve for two decades.
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James Suckling
A refined, high-class and well-composed blend of grenache, mourvedre, vaccarese and syrah. The nose expresses notes of wild berries, currants, dried herbs, black pepper and a hint of bark. It’s full-bodied with fine yet firm tannins. Well-build and focused, with a more delicate texture at the center. Bright and succulent, yet there is so much tension, structure and intensity. Vibrant peppery finish with length. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Try after 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Renaissance, a blend of Grenache Noir (60%) and Mourvèdre (40%) planted on sandy soils in Le Cristia and La Font du Loup lieux-dits, reveals a more dense, earthy and somber bouquet than its counterparts, evoking aromas of bay leaf, fresh thyme, coniferous forest and dark berries. Medium to full-bodied, lively and concentrated, it's dense and robust with structured but well-extracted tannins and a serious structure.
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Wine Spectator
A brooding, dark version, with a floral perfume followed by a concentrated stream of black licorice, currant and mulberry notes edged in graphite. Alder smoke hovers throughout the rich, round palate, with softened tannins gently paving the way for the long, chalky-textured finish. Give this time in the cellar to harmonize all of its elements. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah.
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Vinous
Vinified from certified biodynamic grapes, the perfumed 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Reine des Bois unwinds with attention-grabbing notes of spice box, rose petal, wild strawberry and a nuance of licorice. Shaped by firm 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.