Winemaker Notes
The Tradition from Domaine Giraud comes from vineyards in the southern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape famous for its red clay soils and galets. From vines ranging in age from 50–80 years old, it is fermented in concrete and stainless steel tanks and while the Mourvedre and Grenache rests in concrete, the Syrah is aged in French oak barrels.
Blend: 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fruity nose with notes of strawberries, raspberries, cured meat, bark and peppercorns. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins. Well-balanced and structured. Layered with freshness and vivacity on the mid-palate and a focused, salivating finish with excellent length. From organically grown grapes. 80% grenache, 15% syrah and 5% mourvedre.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre sourced from several different parcels around the village, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is full-bodied and fleshy, yet also airy and light on its feet, silky and elegant. Unlike the 2019, this is more red-fruited and cherry-driven. The Grenache and Mourvèdre mature in concrete tanks, while the Syrah is in barriques.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Wine Spectator
Perfumed and floral, with alluring high-toned cherry pie and raspberry tart interwoven with warm earth, licorice root and a refined iron mineral streak. The structure sneaks up on the palate, cleaning up the finish and driving good length. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2032.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the 2020 Châteauneuf du Papes, the 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape from Giraud is 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and 5% Mourvedre. It shows the pure, supple, charming style of the vintage perfectly and is medium to full-bodied, has soft tannins, lots of darker berry fruits, notes of sappy garrigue and pepper, and outstanding length. A quintessential Châteauneuf du Pape, it will continue drinking well for 10-12 years.
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Vinous
Stating 15.5% alcohol on the label, the modern-styled 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition is a blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre. Pale ruby-colored, swirling the glass unveils aromas of cooked red and black fruits, crème de cassis and cloves. Showcasing slightly coarse tannins, this full-bodied red maintains a good level of freshness through crisp acidity.
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.