Winemaker Notes
This wine comes from the very rocky Serres vineyard in Châteauneuf du Pape. The soil is composed primarily of gravel, and large cobblestones known as 'galets roulés.' The rocky soil produces wins of great depth and intensity. This wine is dense, peppery, and full of blackberry, licorice, and black cherry flavors. Ripe, supple, tannins balance the wine, making it ideal for grilled meats, and daube Provençale.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
I loved the 2017s from Ferrando, which all showed deep, rich, concentrated profiles not far off the 2016s. The 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape gives up loads of chocolaty dark fruits, earth, and spice to go with a full-bodied, concentrated, layered style on the palate. It was fermented with no destemming, yet the stems are beautifully integrated and this all comes together seamlessly.
Range:92-94 -
Jeb Dunnuck
All the 2017s from this estate are brilliant wines, and the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape should be purchased by the case. It offers a ripe, sexy style as well as complex notes of ripe red and black currants, graphite, melted licorice, and incense. With ripe tannins and a layered, elegant texture, it’s a terrific example of the style of the vintage and will keep for 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
With slightly more pronounced tannins than most vintages, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape should be set aside for a year or two and then consumed over the following decade. It offers fresh, vibrant blackberry and blueberry flavors, a full-bodied, velvety-textured palate and a long, tannic finish tinged with orange zest.
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James Suckling
Some riper fruit here, with figs and raisins, as well as red plums. Dense, pastry-like feel to the ripe and juicy palate. Drink over the next five 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.