Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Clairette
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Solely made from Clairette grown on a single parcel, the Pied-long lieu-dit, the 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Pure has the potential to be the best rendition of this cuvée to date. Barrel fermented and aged for 17 months in a combination of new and two-year old French oak barriques, it presents a fragrant perfume of spring flowers, acacia, candied lemon peel, fennel, flintstone, cedar, wet stones and a pinch of vanilla. The full-bodied palate shows great poise and tension, with fresh acidity neatly counterbalancing the elevated flavor concentration. Only 1,500 bottles produced.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All Clairette from the lieu-dit known as les Pialons (also known as le Pied Long), the 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure Blanc boasts appealing aromas of honeycomb, white peaches and dried spices. It's medium to full-bodied, round and ripe on the palate, then finishes long and refreshing, marked by hints of lime zest.
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Wine Spectator
Savory, smoky, dense white with yellow plum, chamomile and dried flowers backed by toasted hazelnut and earthy leafiness. White mocha, heather and salted dried herbs chime in, while acacia and salted butter line the substantial palate. White tea tannins have real presence and dry up the substantial finish.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
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.