Winemaker Notes
100% Grenache, primarily from the lieu-dit named "Colombis" with a sandy soil. Whole-cluster fermented and aged in neutral tronconique barrels for 18 months.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A spitting image of the heavenly 2007, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis is a huge, opulent Grenache that delivers everything you could want from this variety. Layers of kirsch liqueur, garrigue, licorice, and herbes de Provence just cascade over the palate. This literal bomb of a wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and layered, yet like all truly great wines, it remains pure, balanced and graceful, with no sense of heaviness. It will most likely merit a triple-digit score in another 2-3 years and will keep for another 10-15 years, but why wait?
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 100% Grenache 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Colombis is sourced from three different lieux-dits, each of which has sandy soils. In addition, the vines are all at least 60 years old. Matured in demi-muids, this beautiful wine features enthralling aromas of crushed stone, rose petals and ripe raspberries. Full-bodied and concentrated, the texture comes across as something weightless yet between silk and velvet, laced with exotic spices and lingering for minutes on the finish. It's another stunning example of Grenache from sand terroirs, and it's actually underpriced relative to its quality. Grab it while you can!
-
Wine Spectator
This is warm and very alluring, featuring steeped plum, blackberry and fig fruit flavors forming the core, underscored with ganache, roasted alder and smoldering tobacco notes. The alder edge pierces the finish, adding length and drive, while mouthwatering acidity ripples all around. Best from 2020 through 2035.
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.