M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Bernardine Blanc 2016
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with fish, shellfish and chicken or dishes with acidic sauces or marinades, Mediterranean cuisine - Greek salads. Cheese: Feta, goat cheese, gouda, Majorero Mahon, Bucheron, dry Jack cheese.
Blend: 90% Grenache Blanc, 5% Grenache Gris, Clairette and Roussane
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A bright, fresh, unadorned style, with lime, white peach, yellow apple and fennel notes streaming through, backed by a mineral edge on the lively, lengthy, refreshing finish. Should develop a broader feel with age. Drink now through 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Looking back through the database, the blend for this bottling has varied a bit over time. The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape la Bernardine Blanc is Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc. It fermented in old foudres and stayed on the lees for eight months. The result is a medium to full-bodied mix of pineapple and lime, with a briny, richly textured finish. It should drink well for a few years, maybe even longer, although I'm reluctant to recommend extended cellaring for most whites from the Southern Rhône.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made from Grenache Blanc and Clairette, the 2016 Châteauneuf-Du-Pape La Bernardine offers a richer, lively style in its ripe orchard fruits, caramelized pineapple, mineral, and honeycomb. Fresh, lively and pure, with good acidity as well as texture, drink it over the coming 4-5 years.
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2022-
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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No name is more closely associated with the greatness of the Rhone valley than Chapoutier.
The history of the Chapoutier family stretches back to the early nineteenth century when current owner Michel Chapoutier's great-, great-, great-grandfather Marius purchased an estate and some vineyards in the now famous village of Tain l'Hermitage in the Northern Rhône Valley. Marius Chapoutier made history in the region when he became the first grape grower there to vinify his own fruit. Marius had tasted wines other winemakers produced using his fruit and he realized that something was lost in translation, so to speak. He knew that he owned some of the best growing sites in the appellation and he believed — rightly — that the grapes grown in his vineyards could produce long-lived world-class wines. In a move unusual at the time, he decided that he should make the wine himself. Not only did the quality of the wines increase greatly, but this move provided the capital to expand the Chapoutiers’ already legendary estate.
A visionary and pioneer in biodynamic winemaking, his restless energy and unconditional commitment to quality have produced tremendous success, with the most 90+ point ratings of all Rhône producers and 16 "100 point" rated wines.
Sothis Gin is distilled from grapes and plants grown near the vineyards. This family domaine is cultivated using biodynamic practices in which plants play a central role. In their wild state they offer M. Chapoutier a better understanding of the soils. When used in vine treatments they help to nourish plant life and support plant growth. They have selected a few of these plants in order to offer a new perspective of their terroirs, the story of a gin originating from the Tain l’Hermitage vineyards and their floral heritage. They have been honing this recipe for many months under the watchful eye of Sothis, the star and also the ancient Goddess who teaches us that cultivating the land is a means of moving closer to the stars.
Producing full-bodied white wines, Grenache Blanc can be unctuous and soft or floral and fresh. Some of the finest examples are terroir-driven, age-worthy wines. It is a key ingredient in white Châteauneuf-du-Pape and many white blends across southern France and NE Spain. Somm Secret—Grenache Blanc plays a key role in the vins doux naturels of Rivesaltes and a subsidiary role in those of Banyuls and Maury.
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.