Tour Saint-Michel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee des Deux Soeurs 2013
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and compact now, with a core of blackberry and black cherry fruit laced with licorice and black tea notes. A tightly focused finish of violet and iron completes the picture. Should unwind soon enough. Best from 2016 through 2023. 7,000 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the few wines in the vintage to shows true richness, the 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Deux Soeurs is a screaming success in the vintage. Giving up lots of blackberry, currants, crème de cassis, licorice and roasted herbs, it’s medium to full-bodied, plump, rounded and beautifully textured. The blend in 2013 was 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah, and this cuvee is always aged 80% in concrete tank and 20% in barrels.
Other Vintages
2012-
Robert
Parker
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.