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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Vinous
The 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Prestige is a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre and other permitted varieties. The 2021 Prestige doesn’t show any reductive characteristics, unlike the Les Olivets and Réserve from the same vintage. Mixing delicate aromas of ripe raspberry, red and black cherry, licorice and garrigue. This red is impeccably well-balanced, shining with excellent purity of flavors.
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Wine Spectator
Salt and iodine infuse a base of steeped plum, baked cherry and grilled herbs in this pure and racy red, with black tea and grilled alder on the long finish. There are some persistent tannins at play, keeping this wound up. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Vaccarese. Best from 2025 through 2032. 1,200 cases made, 200 cases imported.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Prestige isn't far off the Secret Des Sabon and is more open and expressive, with gorgeously Provençal notes of fresh red and black fruits, herbes de Provence, pepper, and licorice. Medium-bodied, round, and supple, with good mid-palate depth, as well as integrated acidity, it's a perfect example of this fresher, focused, elegant vintage to drink over the coming 10-12 years. This Cuvée is 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties that were all destemmed and brought up in a mix of Foudre, demi-muids, and tronconique tanks.
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James Suckling
Plenty of meaty and savory character is married to a solid base of tannins on the generous palate. Good wild blackberry and summer flower aromas. Long, moderately dry finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.
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.