Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with venisson, duck, braised lamb or strong cheese.
Blend: 50% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes carries a deep ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a classic bouquet of black raspberries, ground pepper, garrigue and hints of graphite. Gorgeously pure, elegant and seamless on the palate, with building tannin, it's impeccably balanced and shows the best of this vintage.
-
Wine Enthusiast
With its complex nose melding whiffs of fresh raspberry and violet with savory spice, smoke and nut tones, it's hard not to be mesmerized by this wine's bouquet alone. The palate is pure and lavish, boasting pristine blackberry and mulberry flavors held taut by a firm tannic backbone. It's remarkably integrated and supple now but should improve through 2035 and hold substantially further. Editors' Choice
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is the most backward and impenetrable of the three Grand Veneur cuvées, hence my reluctance in a blind tasting to elevate it above the others. It still shows incredible concentration and promise, combining mocha, cherry and plum notes with masses of chewy tannins. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it perform better in five or ten years. 93+
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.