Winemaker Notes
Complex nose of peach flower, brioche, and oriental pastries. Elegant, rich palate, dominated by citrus marmalade and peach, with a long finish balanced by mineral notes.
Excellent as an aperitif when young. Brouillade with truffles, pan-fried foie gras, American lobster, vanilla lobster, brandade of cod with truffles, veal with cream and morels, Roquefort cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Barberini Blanc brings a touch more richness and depth. Based on 65% Roussanne, 25% Grenache Blanc, and 10% Clairette, it has a great nose of honeyed melon, white flowers, and toasted bread, and it's medium-bodied, with a layered, elegant mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a great finish. With a kiss of background oak, it's just a beautifully done.
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James Suckling
Rich and powerful, with restrained oak aromas on the buttery, full-bodied palate. This has an excellent tannin structure and a lot of Mediterranean herbs in the long, bold finish that gives an impression of freshness. A cuvee of roussanne, clairette and grenache blanc that undergoes full malolactic and spends 10 months on the lees in oak barrels. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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Wine Spectator
This simmers with mineral energy as ample crushed flint and stone notes support aloe and persimmon flavors. Subtle, toasty oak brings spice and chamomile elements and warmth to the finish, where there's a pleasing tautness, with chalky mineral details and nice restraint. A unique, refreshing style. Drink now through 2028. 160 cases made, 50 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More exotic and ripe than the classic white wine at this address, the 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Barberini reveals aromas of ripe orchard fruits, pineapple, mango and spices mingled with smoky, oaky notes. Medium to full-bodied, round and enveloping, deep and rich, it's well-balanced with a slightly tannic frame on the finish, making it elegantly bitter. This blend of 65% Roussanne, 25% Grenache Blanc and 10% Clairette matured for 10 months in a combination of foudres, new barrels, used barrels and stainless steel.
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.