Winemaker Notes
Pure is handcrafted from a single plot of 100-year-old vines and sandy soil, at the junction of "Grand Pierre", "Rayas" and "Pointu" districts. The century-old Grenache vines are deeply rooted in this mythical plot like no other, with sandy and red Comtat sandstone soil. Not only rare and unique, the resulting wine is indescribably... pure, as well as ethereal, delicate, elegant, fresh, natural, floral, silky, unctuous and absolute.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
All Grenache from Grand Pierre, Pointu, and Rayas from very old vines and brought up in a single foudre, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure shows kirsch, blackberries, savory Provençal herbs, pepper, and scorched earth. It's medium-bodied, with a nicely concentrated, layered mouthfeel, remarkable purity, and ripe yet building tannins. This has a Vosne-Romanée-like style that is incredibly impressive and will drink well for two decades. Drink 2025-2045.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A pure Grenache Noir rooted in sandy soils, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pure is delicately reduced with a gourmand, perfumed bouquet of rose, dark cherries, peonies and fresh thyme. Medium- to full-bodied, sappy and enveloping, it's layered and textured with a juicy core of fruit framed by velvety tannins and enhanced by a lively, tensile mid-palate that leads to a long, ethereal and fresh finish. This is a supremely elegant Grenache—unadorned, expressive and vibrant—that should evolve gracefully over the coming decade and beyond.
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Vinous
The 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pure explodes from the glass with pronounced raspberry, orange blossom, fresh violets, forest strawberry and jasmine aromatics. Full-bodied, round and refined, the 2023 bursts with inner energy, neatly capturing an almost weightless serenity. A gorgeous Pure that’s on par with the delectable 2020.
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Wine Spectator
This flattering, velvety red oozes with generous crushed red berries and bouncy cherry. Incense smolders in the backdrop, with an attractive and smooth finish. Broad, ripe and juicy, with beautiful range to its spice, flower and herb details, which continue to unfurl. Grenache.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
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.