Winemaker Notes
As with the other cuvées from Roger Sabon, the philosophy behind the Cuvée Prestige is to harvest the Grenache and Syrah early to preserve their natural acidity since the age of these vines – the oldest topping a century in age – will provide plenty of richness and concentration. As a result this wine walks the line between fresh red fruit, and dense black fruit flavors with additional complexity coming from a blend that also includes Mourvedre, Cinsault, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Muscardin and Terret Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Black raspberries and flowers gently intertwine on the nose of the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Prestige, a Grenache-dominated blend drawn from the lieux-dits of les Brusquières and Cabrières. Full-bodied and silky, it's dense and rich yet finishes fresh, adding seemingly contradictory hints of dark chocolate.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Prestige is a solid step up and brings another level of purity and precision. Based on 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties, it has stunning aromatics of red and black fruits, roasted garrigue, spring flowers, and a hint of graphite. With full-bodied richness, moderate acidity, ripe, velvety tannins, and one heck of a great finish, it’s one of the gems in the vintage.
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Vinous
The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Prestige is a terrific success. Dazzling aromas of ripe raspberry, red and black cherry, blueberry, black plum, dried thyme, bay leaves, licorice, cured meat and a pinch of white pepper waft from the glass. Full-bodied, concentrated and enveloped in velvety tannins, it is well-balanced by lively acidity, ending with a bold finish.
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Wine Spectator
Dark and brooding, this reveals layers of black fruit edged in iron and smoke. Tightly coiled on the palate, with highlights of violet, tea, forest floor and cumin emerging with time. Slightly grippy tannins hold firm, and this will benefit from a few years in the cellar for the full range of flavors to open up. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse.
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Decanter
Plentiful brooding dark fruits, this is bold, rounded and powerful. Riper and deeper than many this year, with massy ripe tannins. The alcohol does seem a little high, but the acidity is balanced and it finishes long and intense. Grown on mixed soils, mostly galets roulés and sand, in the lieux-dits of Les Brusquières and Cabrières. Fermented half in stainless steel, half in concrete tanks, then aged in large barrels of different shapes and sizes.
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.