Winemaker Notes
This wine has a strong Grenache dominance which is a reflection of the blend of the different grape varieties and different soils of their appellation. Structured wine with fine and elegant tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A special cuvee for the American importer that includes more old-vine Grenache, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Girard delivers more perfume than the regular bottling, with roses, tea-like herbal notes, strawberries and raspberries. It's full-bodied, supple, nicely balanced, and complex, with a softly dusty finish. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Girard is slightly more lifted and perfumed than the classic cuvée, and while I usually find the Cuvée Girard to be a step up over the base cuvée, that’s not the case in 2020. Red and blue fruits, iron, candied violets, and pepper all emerge on the nose, and this medium to full-bodied, floral, perfumed effort is going to keep for 10-12 years.
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.