Winemaker Notes
With slightly less than one hectare of Roussanne and Bourboulenc, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc from Domaine de Marcoux is the smallest cuvée that they make. When the grapes arrive at the cellar they are gently pressed and the juice is allowed to settle for a few days before fermentation in stainless steel tanks. A small portion of the Roussanne will be aged in barrel but the rest will stay in tank on its fine lees. To preserve the freshness of the wine malolactic fermentation is prevented.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mainly Roussanne but with a fair bit of Bourboulenc and Clairette, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc went into demi-muids and amphora this year and did not go through malolactic fermentation. It's a full-bodied, richer example of white CdP despite that, with honeyed notes of ripe pear and pineapple, a broad, expansive feel on the palate and a long, harmonious finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
From tiny yields, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc is mostly Roussanne, Bourboulenc, and Clairette and was brought up in demi-muids and amphora. Medium gold-hued, its great nose of honeyed pears, peach, white flowers, and hints of spice carries to a medium-bodied white with good concentration while holding onto a terrific sense of freshness and vibrancy. I love its balance and would be thrilled to have bottles in the cellar.
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Wine Spectator
Unctuous and ripe, with layers of complexity, offering a seductive core of peach and juicy melon that’s thick and plump on the palate. An invigorating beam of finely crushed mineral and dried ginger tears through, bringing shape and energy to the round palate.
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Vinous
Cruising at the same high altitude as the preceding two vintages, the 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is delightful. Yellow apple, ripe pear, blossom, lemon peel and a melon splash all frame the complex aromatic profile. Sexy and concentrated, the 2022 packs excellent substance and freshness before concluding with an elongated finish.
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.