Winemaker Notes
Nose, garrigue bouquet, cistus flower, blackcurrant buds, all fresh and balanced on the palate, with aromas of cocoa and cherry, with a long finish of liquorice.
In its youth, this vintage is perfect to pair with a shoulder of lamb slow roasted in oven, roast pigeon with porcini mushroom, and from its fifth year, stew, Daube Provencal, all game and many cheeses.
Blend: 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 15% Mourvedre
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the Châteauneuf-du-Papes, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a gem that’s loaded with notions of ripe strawberries, kirsch, garrigue, and spice. It has everything in the right places, a layered, elegant profile, moderate tannins, and impeccable balance. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years.
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James Suckling
This has complex, rich and attractive style to it. Smooth grilled peaches and pears, honey and spicy oak. The palate delivers a rich array of flavors with plenty of stone fruits and nougat. Layered and even. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Savory notes of clove and leather add nuance to the rich fruit of the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape. It's full-bodied, creamy, lush, plump with red berries and stone fruit and remains fresh and fruit-driven through the long finish. It should drink well for a decade or more.
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.