Winemaker Notes
This is the highest elevation and the most sheltered part of the terroir of slopes. Marlstone soils and shallow safres covered with quartzite pebbles are entirely suitable for mourvedre. Under the tense tannins, wines are vigorous with huge elegance.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Hauts-Lieux comes from a cooler, higher elevation parcel and also includes slightly more Mourvedre, both of which give this cuvée a more firm, structured profile, especially in its youth. Awesome red, blue, and black fruits as well as black licorice, liquid violet, and peppery garrigue define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, with a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a salty, almost bloody character on the finish. It shows the more charming nature of the 2020 vintage yet still deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will have over two decades of longevity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In a vintage like 2020, the Cabrières terroir, located in the northern part of the appellation and benefiting from shade during the hottest part of the day, proved to be a real asset, as showcased by the 2020 Les Hauts-Lieux. Evoking a deep, complex bouquet of dark cherries, licorice, iris and flowers, this wine is full-bodied, lively and vibrant, with a tense, crystalline texture and a fleshy, dense mid-palate perfectly framed by ripe, velvety and structured tannins.
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Decanter
Bright, vibrant, wonderfully smooth tannins and an exceptional expression of Mourvèdre. Lovely blueberry and violet, this is deep and brooding, the alcohol feels a little high but otherwise this is well-balanced and long. No Syrah in the blend here, plentiful Mourvèdre however, which performed well in 2020. From three parcels close to the limestone plateau with some clay, it's at relatively high altitude and thus late ripening, with less exposition to the sun.
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Vinous
Pungent aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, red and black plum, raspberry and garrigue introduce the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Hauts-Lieux. It is a deep, full-bodied wine with ample concentration, perfectly balanced by lively acids, concluding with a savory finish.
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.