Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Domaine Jean Royer Chateauneuf-du-Pape displays rocking notes of black raspberries, toasted spices, pepper, and loads of garrigue goodness all flow to a full-bodied, seamless, elegant Grenache that has silky tannins and tons of upfront charm.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Royer's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape is a beautiful blend of 85% Grenache, with 5% each Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Resiny, herbal notes of rosemary and pine join red raspberries and cherries upon the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, creamy and lush. Supple but concentrated, this strong, almost entirely tank-aged effort finishes long, with ample intensity.
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and fresh, with cassis and plum puree notes that shimmer prettily as they race through, lined with light lavender, dried anise and singed alder hints along the way. Showing nice range, this is approachable already, though there's no rush. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Drink now through 2034.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of ripe black cherries, peppery garrigue, black olive, and a subtle iodine and marine-like nuance emerge from the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape, a big, ripe, incredibly sexy classic cuvée that has full-bodied richness and no hard edges. It's for the Grenache lovers out there.
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Wine Enthusiast
Whiffs of charred rosemary and thyme accent rich blackberry and cassis in this buoyantly fruity Grenache augmented by 5% each of Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Syrah. Although massively ripe, it maintains a fresh, juicy appeal unadulterated by new-oak influences, making it inviting young.
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.