Winemaker Notes
Blend: 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Claire Fabre turned out a bright, vivacious Chateauneuf-du-Pape from her vineyards, 37 acres devoted mainly to old vines, some over 100 years old. It tastes of red raspberries and black plums, mint, herbs and earth. The tannins are firm yet elastic, like long, lean muscles, the wine approachable now yet capable of aging well over the next five to ten years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape is a classic blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault. Notes of sweet kirsch, currants, garrigue and while pepper all emerge from this medium-bodied, elegant and balanced Chateauneuf du Pape that shows the more forward, mid-weight style of the vintage. It has class and elegance, but I suspect it’s best consumed in its first decade or so. Range: 89-91
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and fresh in feel, with bright cherry, damson plum and blood orange fruit flavors racing along, flecked with light shiso leaf and iron accents. Gives way to a perfumy but persistent finish.
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.