Winemaker Notes
Complex nose of candied fruits, gingerbread and brioche. The mouth is smooth with peach notes. Mineral final.
Blend: 60% Clairette, 20% Grenache Blanc, 20% Roussanne
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This feels like stepping into a still forest clearing, although the very subtle candied citrus aromas have nothing to do with that image. Fantastic balance of creaminess, very fine tannins and stony minerality, plus almost perfect integration of fruit and oak. A cuvee based on clairette with 20% each of grenache blanc and rossanne. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Vinified and matured exclusively in used barrels, the 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Vin de Solitude evokes aromas of spices, smoke, ripe orchard fruits and spring flowers complemented by a delicate, elegant reduction. Medium to full-bodied, textured and layered, it's tense and enveloping with bright acids and a sappy, elegant, ethereal finish. The oak is barely noticeable, making it a good candidate for the cellar (4-8 years). This is a blend of 60% Clairette, 20% Roussanne and 20% Grenache Blanc.
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.