Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Black raspberry coulis is flanked by ganache and lavender in this chewy, densely packed red, which is full and rich, especially for the vintage, with impressive textural complexity and seamless integration. Long and balanced, with great freshness to the finish. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut, Mourvèdre and Counoise. Drink now through 2037.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Crafted from mainly Grenache Noir with Syrah, Cinsault, Counoise and Mourvèdre mix-planted, the 2021 Les Trois Sources evokes aromas of iris, stem and violet mingled with notes of herbs and leaves. Medium to full-bodied, round and sappy, it's delicate and ethereal, with a tenser, more incisive mid-palate, making it a bit austere and firm on the finish. Despite this slightly somber character, the wine has the structure to age gracefully, with time serving as its ally.
Rating: 92+ -
Vinous
Made from vines planted very close to the winery and aged for one year in foudre without the use of any new oak, the 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Trois Sources is elegant, combining lovely red fruit aromatics with spring flowers and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and enveloped in ripe tannins, this is an unusually Burgundian offering from the Daumen family.
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.