Winemaker Notes
Domaine Santa Duc La Crau Ouest Chateauneuf-du-Papeis 100% Grenache from 80+ year old vines in the sandy soil of La Crau Ouest. Hand-picked with very selective sorting, then a short and soft maceration. Soft punching down. Aged in terracotta jars for 18 months to enhance fruit and minerality and to showcase the pure expression of terroir and grape.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Striking nose of the ripest strawberries with delicate notes of dried flowers and spice. In spite of the tremendous richness and structure this remains delicate and refined. Super-long finish in which the mineral and licorice characters are beautifully interwoven. A pure grenache from 100-year-old vines growing on sandy soil. 75% whole bunch. Matured only in clay amphora. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Limited production. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Complex, this generous expression has concentrated aromas of strawberry, cranberry and a hum of black fruit framed by wild mint. Mouthwatering and uplifting acidity highlights a stony layer, followed by blackberries and plums. Initially linear, this full-bodied wine explodes with grace and purity, and round tannins that support its long pithy and saline finish.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
All Grenache from more sandy portions of the La Crau lieu-dit, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Crau Ouest offers a bright, sappy style in its cherry, rose petal, and red plum-driven aromatics. Fresh, focused, and very pure and precise, it has a firm, austere edge, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following 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.