Winemaker Notes
Beautiful, limpid color of shiny ruby-red. The nose is revealed with finesse with an aromatic bouquet of fruit, full of freshness. On the palate, this wine is soft, elegant, with good acidity and seductive tangy notes of red fruit such as red currant. A wine of great finesse.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
It's really hard to resist this wine's abundant cassis, red currant and strawberry fruit. There’s an interplay of restrained ripeness and gentle tannins. This is quite full-bodied, but the silky tannins and long, lively finish make it taste lighter than it really is. A cuvee based on grenache with a mix of other traditional varieties.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming 70% from estate vines, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Sinards is medium ruby-hued and offers red and black fruit, peppery garigue, and sweet violet-like aromas and flavors. It's nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, and is going to shine right out of the gate. Barrel Sample:(90-92)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Crafted from young vines at Château de Beaucastel, complemented by two plots located in the center of the village, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards is slightly peppery, revealing aromas of dark berries and spices. Medium- to full-bodied, gourmand and juicy, it’s fresh and lively despite its structured tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. Composed mainly of Grenache Noir, this is a perfect introduction to the Perrin family’s universe.
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Wine Spectator
Beautiful in- ner brightness shines through in this densely packed white, with layers of nectarine, melon, lime curd and salty richness. Shows flickers of toast and candied nuts on the well-meshed finish. Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Clairette.
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.