Domaine Jean Royer Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2015
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Wine Spectator
Deep red. A perfumed bouquet evokes fresh red berries, peppery spices and smoky minerals, plus a hint of lavender that builds in the glass. Vibrant raspberry and floral pastille flavors deepen and expand with air while maintaining vivacity. Silky tannins meld smoothly with the juicy fruit on the long, penetrating, racy finish, which repeats the floral note.
Range: 91-93 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Starting with the barrel sample and mostly Grenache, blended with 5% each of Cinsault and Syrah, the 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape should be a smoking value. Full-bodied, hedonistic and even voluptuous, this beauty gives up terrific notes of strawberries, kirsch, Provençal herbs and lots of sandy/loamy soils aromas and flavors. It should drink nicely right out of the gate, yet also evolve nicely.
Range: 90-93
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The Royer family has been growing grapes in the southern part of Chateauneuf du Pape since the 1800s. But when Jean-Marie’s father died at age 38 (Jean-Marie was only 2 years old), his mother, with no one to manage the estate, decided to lease the vineyards in order to have a steady income. In 1982, at age 18, Jean-Marie decided to study oenology. He says there wasn’t any one thing that inspired him to study viticulture and winemaking. “When you are 18, you are more interested in chicks or rugby, but I had to work. Around here, summer work is in the vineyards.”
In 1986 he begins to take back the land the family had rented out, and to buy parcels. Today, Royer owns vineyards in the prestigious areas of Bois de la Ville, Les Grandes Serres, and La Crau located next to Rayas. He is friends with Philippe Cambie, renowned oenologist in Chateauneuf du Pape and has worked with him since 2000. It was then that he began to keep parcels and varieties separate during fermentation.
Today, Jean Marie owns 30 acres of vines, mostly in the southern portion of Chateauneuf-du-Pape along with some Côtes du Rhône and Vin de Table. While he picks late to get good maturity to keep balance and freshness in the wines, he keeps the tanks cold to start and slowly lets them warm up. The fermentation is long and slow. Royer comments “Elegance and finesse, rather than opulence, is what I want.”
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.