Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A fairly pale colour. Fresh, elegant, cherry-scented start, a little orange zest and raspberry. Generous in glycerol, quite jellied on the palate. The acidity helps to cut through the fat and alcohol – and the alcohol is high. Tannins however are fairly gentle and slight, classic of a sandy terroir. Ripe and solaire, very 2018, but has elegance and admirable freshness. 2,500 bottles made. Vines of over 100 years of age, a 1.2ha parcel of sand on the north of lieu-dit La Crau. Fermented in concrete, aged in old barriques.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Petits Pieds D’Armand is even better, offering additional mid-palate depth as well as richness. Based on 100% old vine Grenache from the famed La Crau lieu-dit, vinified in concrete, and aged all on older used barrels, its deeper ruby hue is followed by an incredible Provençal bouquet of mulled red and black fruits, candied flowers, orange blossom, and spice. With full-bodied richness, a stacked mid-palate, no hard edges, and a great, great finish, this is unquestionably one of the sexiest wines in the vintage. It will put a smile on your face any time over the coming 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All Grenache from a sandy portion of La Crau and aged in 400-liter barrels, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Petits Pieds d'Armand is darker and richer than the Les Terrasses bottling (off galets roulés). Concentrated and intense, it delivers scents of black cherries and garrigue, tinged with hints of dark chocolate and cinnamon. Full-bodied, velvety and rich, it finishes long, with less apparent heat on the finish than the Les Terrasses, and probably a bit more longevity.
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.