Domaine de Saje Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020
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Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Toothsome fruit with a potpourri of Provençal herbs and spice; old school Châteaneuf at its best. Serve with a very slight chill.
Blend: 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah, Mourvedre, Clairette Rose & Other Varieties
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This domaine's 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is on the pale side but with attractive scents of roses and cherries, plus a dose of piney herbs. Full-bodied, ripe and supple, charming and complex, with a long, herbal finish, it's 80% Grenache, 7% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre, with small portions of a bunch of other varieties.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape also showed well, with good intensity and depth in its ripe raspberry and framboise-like fruit as well as a floral, sappy character. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced, and elegant, this is another 2020 that’s going to drink nicely for 7-8 years or more.
Other Vintages
2019-
Parker
Robert
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Spirits
Wine &
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb
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.