Winemaker Notes
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, the bulk of the production at Domaine de Marcoux, is sourced from 13 sites spread over a wide range of terroirs. This allows for a wine that is both dense but pure and lifted with beguiling aromatics. In general terms Marcoux is always inclined towards red-fruit flavors with a smoky stoniness that emerges with age.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
While there was no Vieilles Vignes bottling produced this vintage, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape stands out for its remarkable perfume of garrigue and spice, which epitomizes the complexity attainable solely from grapes in this remarkable appellation. Tendrils of dried herbs entwine raspberries and black cherries, accented by hints of Asian five-spice powder. It's medium to full-bodied and delicately dusty in feel, generous yet softly structured, with a lingering, elegant finish. Drink this beauty over the next decade or so.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and the rest Syrah brought up in a mix of foudre and concrete tanks, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape reveals a slightly deeper ruby/purple hue to go with ripe, sexy aromas and flavors of red and black currants, roasted herbs, black licorice, and smoked meats. This big, rich, nicely concentrated 2018 has rock-solid mid-palate depth and sweet tannins and a great finish, all making for one seriously delicious Châteauneuf du Pape that’s going to drink nicely for 15+ years.
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.