Winemaker Notes
A subtle blend of century-old Grenache vines, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault from the estate's finest terroirs.
A unique, silky and opulent wine that clearly expresses its distinctive qualities. It also shows great class thank to its deep color, floral bouquet, freshness, cocoa flavors and delicate aftertaste.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Julien Barrot is also beautiful. Based on 63% Grenache, 13% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah, 7% Counoise, 5% Cinsault, and the rest Clairette Rose that was partially destemmed, its deeper ruby/plum hue is followed by terrific aromatics of ripe black cherries, sappy garrigue, licorice, and chalky minerality. It's not massive yet brings a beautiful sense of concentration and mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, and just about flawless balance. A gorgeous 2022, it’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise over the following decade or more.
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James Suckling
A focused, well-structured red, showing aromas of sweet cherries, dried oranges, gravel and warm spices. Full-bodied and fleshy, with plush tannins and delicious, floral and orange notes in the center-palate. Succulent and engaging with a long, energetic finish.
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Wine Spectator
A plush, powerful red, with good vibrancy to the fresh cherry and licorice flavors streaming alongside singed graphite and lavender. The full-bodied, hedonistic palate is restrained by an ample spine of iron and fine-grained tannins that pack real punch from start to finish. Threads of apple wood smoke and warm spices weave throughout. Best from 2026 through 2038. 2,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.
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Vinous
Darker in character than the 2023 tasted side by side, the 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Julien Barrot opens with vivid licorice, forest strawberry, lavender, dried herbs and a flicker of violet. Mildly shaped by fine-grained tannins, the full-bodied 2022 needs at least three more years in bottle before starting to show its full potential. An uplifting, savory conclusion rounds it up.
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.