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
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Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted from bottle, the 2018 Châteauneuf du Pape Colombis comes from a single lieu-dit and is 100% Grenache brought up all in demi-muids. I thought it could be the wine of the vintage last year, and it’s certainly not far off, offering a sensational bouquet of Provençal garrigue, ground pepper, spiced meat, and red and black fruits. Reminding me of a slightly toned-down version of the 2007, it’s full-bodied and has a beautifully layered, elegant texture, sweet tannins, and a gorgeous finish. The 2018s do not get much better than this, and this beauty can be drunk any time over the coming 15 years or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
At the risk of not being literal enough, tasting Isabel Ferrando's 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Colombis is like drinking purple flowers. Deep rose and violet notes are seamlessly joined to purple raspberries in a full-bodied wine that seems almost weightless on the palate. There's terrific inner-mouth perfume, near-ethereal tannins that support the wine's girth via a taut, gossamer structure, and a finish tinged with star anise and black cherries that just won't quit. A tour de force of pure Grenache, it should drink well for a decade, perhaps longer.
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Wine Spectator
This is a beauty, with a seductive display of Turkish coffee, singed alder, steeped plum and warmed anise aromas and flavors that move in unison, backed by a subtle garrigue note through the finish. A late echo of warm earth adds a finishing touch. Best from 2021 through 2037.
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Decanter
Introspective for now on the nose; blackberries, liquorice and sage, but promising on the palate – good sense of intensity and freshness. Very well balanced, harmonious, upright and sparky. Not long, but a great burst of flavour. The alcohol is high, but it's warming rather than hot. Made by Isabel Ferrando of Domaine Saint Préfert. Grown on mostly sandy soils in the Colombis lieu-dit, no destemming.
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James Suckling
As extravagantly fleshy as it is seriously concentrated, this is a very impressive 2018 Chateauneuf, in which the well-crafted tannin structure precisely matches the very generous ripeness. Glides over the palate beautifully and off into the distance. From biodynamically grown grapes.
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.