Winemaker Notes
Intense and expressive with youthful aromas dominated by fresh fruit (raspberry and cherry), delicately spiced and enhanced by an oaky note. On the palate, ample, fresh and fruity with ripe blackcurrant, raspberry and jammy sour cherry. Well-balanced with spicy flavors (licorice and pepper). Complex, with soft resin notes and a touch of oak. Fine tannins for a smooth, very harmonious texture.
Blend: 47% Grenache Noir, 32% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre, 2% Cinsault-Vaccarèse
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape checks in as 48% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 22% Mourvèdre brought up largely in foudres, with small amounts in old barrels and concrete tanks. Deeply colored (more so than normal) with powerful notes of blackberries, currants, ground pepper, leafy herbs, and hints of seaweed wrappers (think sushi wrappers), it hits the palate with a full-bodied concentrated, powerful style that carries polished tannins, ample fruit, and a great finish. Marking a subtle shift in style here, this red will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Domaine Sénéchaux has turned out a lovely 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape. Pencil shavings accent mixed red and black cherries on the nose, adding hints of baking spices and vanilla. It's a blend of 48% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 22% Mourvèdre, aged mainly in foudres, with some barrels mixed in, and 10% staying in concrete tanks. Full-bodied, supple, ripe and intense, it's modern in style and hits all the marks yet retains a sense of restraint. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent results.
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Wine Spectator
Mulled plum and blackberry flavors glide along, laced with hints of licorice root, dark tobacco and warm earth. Stays velvety in feel through the finish, with the earthy notes echoing longest. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Vaccarèse.
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.