Winemaker Notes
Sourced from some of the estate’s oldest vines planted on red clay soils covered with a layer of galets in La Crau, Cabrières, and Le Grand Pierre, Prestige is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Muscardin, and Terret Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The brilliant 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige (60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, and the balance almost every other authorized red grape of the appellation) is produced from parcels that average 90 years of age or older. It reveals the essence of Provence in its dense plum/purple color and powerful aromatics of sweet creme de cassis, black cherries, licorice, lavender, pepper, and incense. The wine possesses terrific depth, a blockbuster, opulent, multilayered texture, and a finish that lasts nearly 50 seconds.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Even richer and with more depth than the Réservée, the 2007 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige is a beauty and offers up perfumed aromatics of blackberries, kirsch, incense and spice. With air, subtle graphite and earthy aromas show up. In the mouth, the wine is full bodied with and elegant, polished character, impressive balance and fine grained tannins that kick in on the long finish. This is a stunning wine.
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Wine Spectator
Very silky, with nice deceptive depth to the perfumy crushed plum, toast, pepper and kirsch notes. A hint of shiso leaf extends the mineral- and red fruit—filled 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.