Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
What an exciting nose this Chateauneuf has for the challenging 2021 vintage. Very meaty and savory nose with a touch of soy sauce, Great balance of creamy richness and bold yet fine tannins that give the finish a lot of drive. Doesn’t want to let go. A cuvee based on grenache, syrah and mourvedre from old vines growing on galet cobblestone soils. 70% of the wine was aged in oak barrels of various sizes. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The red 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Barberini actually sees less new oak than the white version (about 70% is aged in barrel). Leather, earth, spice, vanilla, black cherries and plums all appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is creamy and lush, with a long, softly dusty finish tinged with dark chocolate.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Barberini, a resounding success in the vintage. Based on 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, it has a rocking bouquet of darker berries, peppery garrigue, Provençal spices, and subtle new leather nuances. Balanced, medium-bodied, and nicely concentrated, with fine tannins, it does everything right. Drink this elegant, seamless, remarkably pure Châteauneuf du Pape over the coming 8-10 years. While this Cuvée sees roughly 35% new barrels, it’s incredibly well integrated.
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Wine Spectator
Boasts black currant and dark plum flavors amped up by singed cedar and oak spices, with earthy notes of toasted anise and salty graphite. The fruit starts off glossy, then turns grippy in feel, with drying tannins on the firm, iron-edged finish. A structured style that needs time to soften; one for the cellar. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Best from 2025 through 2035.
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.