Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Prestige Blanc 2016
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
One of the finest whites made in the vintage is unquestionably the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Prestige Blanc from Janasse. Based on 70% Roussanne, 20% Grenache Blanc and the rest a mix of varieties, vinified and aged in demi-muids (there are only two barrels), it has rock star notes of white peaches, caramelized citrus, white flowers, spice, and subtle tangerine-like exotic notes. It’s a rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated white that has vibrant acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. There are few Rhône whites better than this beauty. Drink it anytime over the coming two decades.
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Wine Spectator
A ripe, lush style, with creamed Cavaillon melon and apple flavors supported by a fresh brioche note and backed by lemon curd and verbena accents on the finish. A salted butter echo at the very end keeps this honest. Hedonistic. Drink now through 2020. From France
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The stunning 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Prestige features dramatic flavors of honey, pineapples and tangerines. It's broad, full-bodied and expansive in the mouth, imbued with palate-saturating richness. A blend of 60% Roussanne, 20% Grenache Blanc and the rest a blend of other permitted varieties, fermented and aged in 500- and 600-liter oak barrels, it boasts a flamboyant, exotic personality that I prefer to enjoy in its first several years.
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Decanter
Grown on sand, 20% fermented and aged in new oak barriques. Intense pear on the nose, underpinned by some spice elements. Very full-bodied, powerful and savoury on the palate, with real substance and texture and a long finish. A powerful wine which will age well.
Other Vintages
2018-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
Domaine de la Janasse has quickly become one of the Superstar estates of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Led by the dynamic Christophe Sabon, the estate combines the best of both traditional and modern techniques to craft a collection of truly riveting wines from “simple” value-priced VDP’s to benchmark Chateauneufs.
The estate was founded in 1976 by Aimé Sabon, Christophe’s father, who still oversees the vineyards and farms organically. The property consists of 40 Hectares, spread over as many as 70 different parcels throughout the appellation.
While Aime works in the vineyards, his son, Christophe Sabon, is in charge of wine production. Christophe is a self-proclaimed “great defender of Grenache,” which still represents 75% of their vines. He manages the common rusticity of Grenache-based wines through meticulous work in the vineyards and cellar. The result is a wide range of lavishly ripe, extracted Chateauneuf-du-Papes and Cotes-du-Rhônes that are complex and yet balanced with acidity -- often in contradiction to an appellation better known for sheer exuberance and power. As Robert Parker points out: “The young and talented Christophe Sabon continues to display the sure-handed touch of a veteran winemaker”.
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.