Winemaker Notes
Dark color ranging from ruby to black. Nose of red and black fruits, Provencal spices (garrigue), peppery, a light touch of vanilla with some gamey nuances. Always very complex noses. When tasting, we find the different aromas felt olfactory, all with a presence of very fine tannins. The mouth is full-bodied and generous with a very pronounced length, a nice touch of freshness on the finish and a remarkable balance.
Blend: 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 3% Cinsault and 2% Clairette
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Powerfully ripe but pristine blackberry and cassis are finessed by swathes of dried sage, char and bramble in this elegant Grenache-based blend. There's a freshness and vitality throughout augmented by a tight tannic frame and crisp acidity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape from barrel and it showed well from bottle, with beautiful black cherries, ground herbs, earthy minerality, and a hint of violets. Rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, with fine tannins, this is straight-up classic, well-made Châteauneuf Du Pape to drink over the coming 10-15 years. The blend is 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, and the balance Cinsault and Clairette, brought up in a mix of stainless steel, old barrels, foudre, and a tiny amount (6%) in new oak.
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.