Lavau Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2019
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Complex nose of plums and black cherries with a hint of cocoa and cloves. Full and well-balanced on the palate, showing extreme finesse and remarkable length. Pair with duck with green peppers, poultry, any party food.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Vibrant, fruity nose of red plums, cherries, raspberries, pomegranates, olives and red tea. It’s full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins. Round and supple. Some chocolate notes on the finish. Fresh and elegant for the appellation.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A solid négoce wine, Lavau's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape—a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, all said to be from sandy soils and aged in new barriques and stainless steel tanks—offers up ripe cherries on the nose, plus hints of vanilla and maple syrup. Full-bodied, ripe and supple, with a creamy, plush feel, this is easy to drink, while showing ample depth and charm.
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Decanter
Holds the new oak remarkably well (50% new), it's not excessive in aroma or texture from this sample. Well balanced with fine tannins and a little salty note - pretty smart stuff. Should be good when it's ready, no excesses here. Best yet from Lavau.
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Jeb Dunnuck
An outstanding wine, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape offers lots of ripe black and blue fruits as well as plenty of pepper, cedar, and sappy, green garrigue-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it’s nicely textured and has terrific balance along with a great finish. A blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, it was aged in 50% new oak, although you wouldn’t know that by tasting it.
Other Vintages
2020-
James
Suckling - Vinous
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Wine
Spectator
Some 30 years later, Frédéric and Benoît Lavau have joined the team at their family winery which has since become a renowned and respected name in Rhone Valley winemaking. They have secured the future of their winemaking business and completed and enhanced their expertise by becoming creators of cuvees and producers. They have purchased several vineyards in the Rasteau, Valréas and Côtes du Rhône appellations and entered into partnership with the Chateau Maucoil in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
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.