Winemaker Notes
This white wine stands out from other Châteauneuf du Pape by its freshness and smoothness. From a sunny terroir in the Saint Prefert district, it reproduces all the minerality of a granitic soil gently worked and harvested without excess. Very well balanced, it shows a concern for balance and energy. A juicy and salivating attack, a salty mid-palate, a long and acidic finish. The nose of acacia and lime blossom opens onto a floral palate of jasmine and rosehip and pulpy fruit, pears and yellow peaches. The organic and biodynamic management allows us to achieve the right level of maturity without excessive alcohol and with remarkable natural acidity.
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Discrete reductive note brings a flinty edge to the florals. Disarmingly lovely on the palate. Very well balanced, with all the beauty of Clairette - the florals, the freshness, the acidity, the silkiness. Fermented in glass spheres and old foudres.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The classic white here is always worth checking out, and the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc shines on all accounts. Honeyed white flowers, stone fruits, orange blossom, and a touch of spice all emerge on the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, elegant mouthfeel, and a great finish. It has the vintage's fresher, pure style yet doesn't lack for fruit or texture.
-
Vinous
The 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc holds a tight lead over the 2020 and 2022. The 2021 Blanc bursts with delightful aromas of honeysuckle, yellow apple, lemon and lime zest, white peach, melon and a pinch of pineapple. It is full-bodied, pure and precise, balanced by lively acidity and ending distinctively sapid.
-
Wine Spectator
Shows great harmony to the ripe green plum, star fruit and honey, upheld by succulent, mouthwatering acidity and highlighted by salted butter, brioche and cardamom. Reveals acacia floral notes that echo throughout the concentrated, smooth finish. Clairette and Roussanne.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
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.