Winemaker Notes
Intense crimson-red. Nose is complex and subtle, blackcurrant and plum followed by roasted coffee and cinnamon, cherry, Morello cherry. Opening into spicy (licorice) and fruity aromas.
Pair with tuna fish carpaccio, all meats (marinated or in sauces), large game and cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A bold and opulent profile of black and blue fruits, cherries, plum, flint and garrigue sits with dormant energy, wanting to explode in the glass. Its drying tannins are balanced by ample refreshing acidity, cellar through 2030+ before revisiting should result in remarkable integration and greater complexity. Folio Fine Wine Partners.
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Wine Spectator
Solidly built, with a well-formed core of plum, blackberry and black cherry compote flavors supported by warm earth, anise, plum pit and black tea. The focused finish lets the fruit play out, keeping an underlying freshness in the process. Grenache and Syrah.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape la Bernardine—Chapoutier's négociant wine from this appellation—is an assemblage of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre, from a mix of soil types. Aged predominantly in concrete, with a small amount in demi-muids of 20 hectoliters, there's a hint of almond on the nose, alongside ripe cherries. Smooth and silky, this full-bodied wine is expansive and supple on the palate, a solid effort. Rating: (90-92)
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James Suckling
Very meaty and savory with discreet red-fruit aromas, this is quite a traditional style of Chateauneuf with some spice. The well-crafted, gentle tannins support the full body without stepping into the foreground, and that makes this very easy to enjoy right now. Mellow finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the 2019s from bottle, the entry-level 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Bernardine (80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and the rest Mourvèdre) offers a Provençal, spicy, morello cherry, and garrigue-scented perfume to go with a medium to full-bodied, ripe yet also savory style on the palate. Drink it over the coming decade.
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.