Winemaker Notes
Complex nose of pineapple, peach and brioche. Mouth combines liveliness and smoothness with notes of citrus, candied melons and flowers and a very mineral finish.
Drink with eggs with truffles, grilled fish or fish in sauce, fish tagine, oysters au gratin, lobster, capon with cream and yellow wine, ceviche.
Blend: 45% Roussanne, 35% Clairette, 15% Grenache Blanc, 5% Bourboulenc & Picpoul
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 45% Roussanne, 35% Clairette, 15% Grenache Blanc, and 5% other permitted varieties and aged 10 months in a mix of 50% neutral barrels, 25% foudre, and 25% stainless steel, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc offers ripe orchard fruits, orange blossom, brioche, and subtle spicy nuances. It's medium-bodied, has a pure, layered, round mouthfeel, bright acidity, and a great finish.
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Vinous
The 2024 Domaine de la Solitude Blanc is bright and sculpted. Lemon peel, chalk, mint and white pepper confer notable tension and vibrant. This is an especially taut dry white that's ideal for drinking as an apéritif.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Wine Spectator
Round and mouthfilling notes of baked apple and spices are flecked with fresh herbs and a flattering kiss of toasty oak. Lemony freshness cuts through, with fine, prickly mineral detail from start to finish, which shows nice vibrancy. Drink now through 2030. 800 cases made, 300 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc opens with aromas of confit citrus, kumquat, white flowers and spices. Medium- to full-bodied, round and sappy, it is rich and textural, delivering a broad, unctuous expression. Composed of 45% Roussanne, 35% Clairette, 15% Grenache Blanc and a small percentage of other permitted varieties, this is a generous, layered rendition of the cuvée.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
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.