Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2016
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Wine
Spectator -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A lovely acacia note leads the way here, with additional accents of honeysuckle, Key lime, white peach and mirabelle plum following quickly. The very bright, racy, mineral-fueled finish sets this apart from the pack, with a long honeysuckle echo. Should age well. Drink now through 2027.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I always find the white from this terrific estate to be near the top of the hierarchy in terms of quality, yet it’s made in a very different style than the likes of Beaucastel’s Blanc or the old vine Clairette from St. Prefert (or the whites from Vaudieu), and is more fresh, crisp and pure. Even from a hot vintage, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc offers a beautiful crispness as well as terrific aromatics of caramelized citrus, spice and apple core. Clean, vibrant and yet also concentrated, it’s certainly enjoyable today, yet won’t hit maturity until 7-8 years and will keep for a decade or more after that.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Vinified and matured in stainless steel to maintain freshness, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a crisp, medium-bodied wine that boasts aromas of pear and anise. Guava and white pepper appear on the palate, finishing clean and long. Either drink it young and fresh, or do as Paul-Vincent suggests and cellar it for 10+ years, when some honey, petrol and marmalade notes will develop.
Other Vintages
2022-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker - Vinous
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James
Suckling
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker - Vinous
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James
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James
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Robert
Parker -
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Robert
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Spectator
There are no fewer than 24 different plots of land, which include some of the most beautiful soils in the Chateauneuf vineyards. The geographical separation of our vineyards enables us to control ripeness at harvest time, since each sector does not necessarily reach the exact same stage at the same time. It also allows us to combine different varieties planted to the south. "Clos des Papes makes both red wines and white wines (10% of the production) for long-keeping, using traditional vinification and maturing. As I mentioned previously, our yields are deliberately low (an average of 28hl/hectare). and then undergo further strict sorting, to uphold our quality.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
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.