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Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC |
Description to Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC
The history of this famous French wine in the southern Rhône is closely linked to the Roman Catholic Church. From 1309 to 1377, the city of Avignon was the seat of seven popes and from 1378 to 1408 of two antipopes. Clement V (1264-1314) was the first pope in exile to be installed here in 1309. One of these was Pope John XXII (1244-1334), who was born in Cahors and chose Châteauneuf Castle as his summer residence. He had the castle converted into a summer residence and gave important impetus to viticulture. He brought in winegrowers from Cahors, who established viticulture here and produced a red wine called "Vin d'Avignon".
This was the predecessor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but this name only became common in the 19th century. The municipality of Châteauneuf-du-Pape was called Châteauneuf Calcernier until 1893. The emblem of the town of Avignon with two crossed keys (of St Peter) and the Pope's tiara is a reminder of this past. President Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) was a great lover of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine.
The appellation
The boundaries of the approximately 3,200-hectare area were established in 1929 and it was recognised as one of the first appellations in 1936. The area classified as a cru (top appellation) is located in the southernmost part of the Côtes du Rhône-Villages area on the left bank of the Rhône (see picture above in the background). It includes the commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape as well as some sites in Bédarrides, Courthézon, Orange and Sorgues. It is characterised by large, rolled pebbles (galets roulés) mixed with red, sandy clay, which release the heat stored during the day to the vines at night (see picture below). However, there are also sandy soils.
The climate is hot and dry. The mistral blows 130 days a year, a cold, dry and often strong downpour that dries the grapes quickly even after heavy rain showers. Equally typical are the bush formations known as garrigue on shallow soils, which give the wines earthy tones with tart plant flavours. At least 2% of poor quality grapes must be discarded (le râpé). The average yield is 30 hl/ha. The alcohol content must be at least 12.5% vol.
Grape varieties & vinification
There are red wines and white wines (no rosé); 13 grape varieties are authorised. Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié (1890-1967), the owner of Château Fortia, defined ten in 1923 - three more were added in 1936. The red varieties are Cinsaut, Counoise, Grenache Noir (Garnacha Tinta), Mourvèdre (Monastrell), Muscardin, Piquepoul Noir, Syrah, Terret Noir and Vaccarèse (Brun Argenté). The white varieties are Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc (Garnacha Blanca), Oeillade Blanche (Picardan), Piquepoul Blanc, Roussanne and Terret Blanc. Grenache, Piquepoul (Picpoul) and Terret are available in red and white; in fact, 18 varieties are permitted.
The use of the varieties is completely up to the winegrower. The usual red wine blend is Grenache Noir (50-70%), Mourvèdre (10-30%), Cinsaut, Counoise, Syrah and Vaccarèse (up to 20%), as well as the white Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanche and Piquepoul Blanc (up to 10%). However, there are also pure Grenache Noir varieties, such as those from Château Rayas, as well as (rather few) wineries such as Domaine de Beaurenard, which use all 13 varieties. Red wines make up around 93% of the production volume. The white wines are always vinified dry and, depending on the vintage, are relatively full-bodied with low acidity.
The different terroirs and the arbitrary cuvée (mixture of grape varieties) make a generally valid description very difficult. In the past, a distinction was made between two basic types. The spicy type produced using the traditional method is deep dark, high in alcohol up to 14% vol. and can be stored for several decades. The second type is produced using the carbonic maceration method (carbonic acid mash), has a jammy flavour and is similar to Beaujolais. Today, however, 14% is almost the lower limit, with at least 15% and even 17% now the norm.
The best Châteauneuf-du-Pape of the traditional type have all the facilities to age for decades in some cases. One should be more cautious with the more modern, thick-fruited and particularly alcohol-rich examples. Many of these impress in their youth and receive the highest ratings, but they can always disappoint after a few years of ageing. Ageing takes place in various containers such as foudre, demi-muid, a small number of barriques (especially for the Syrah and Roussanne varieties), stainless steel and, above all, concrete. There is no minimum ageing period prescribed; as a rule, white wines are aged for 9 months and red wines for 12 to 18 months. The great vintages are 1978, 1990, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2010, 2015 and 2017.
The producers
Every year, an average of 92,000 hectolitres of wine are produced by 220 producers and around 12 million bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are marketed, of which around two thirds are exported. Around 3% comes from the Cave coopératives Cellier des Princes. Around a third comes from organic cultivation.
Well-known producers include Chapoutier, Château de Beaucastel, Château Fortia, Château de la Gardine, Château Mont-Redon, Château Rayas, Clos des Papes, Cuvée du Vatican, Domaine Paul Autard, Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique, Domaine de Beaurenard, Domaine Bois de Boursan, Domaine Bosquet des Papes, Domaine Chante Cigale, Domaine Chante Perdrix, Domaine de La Charbonnière, Domaine des Chaussand, Domaine de La Côte de l'Ange, Domaine de Cristia, Domaine de Fontavin, Domaine Font de Michelle, Domaine Galévan, Domaine Giraud, Domaine du Grand Tinel, Domaine de La Janasse, Domaine La Roquète, Domaine Le Mereuille, Domaine de la Nerthe, Domaine du Pégau, Domaine des Pères de L'Eglise, Domaine de la Roncière, Domaine Saint Benoît, Domaine de Saint Paul, Domaine de Saint Siffrein, Domaine de la Solitude, Domaine Jean Trintignant, Domaine de Villeneuve, Domaine Patrice Magni, Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Maison Delas Frères and Mas de Boislauzon.
Vineyards and the Rhône: Par jean-louis zimmermann, CC BY 2.0, Lien
Vineyards and Mont Ventoux: By BlueBreezeWiki - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Map of the southern Rhône: By Jarrod Doll - o p. to Flickr as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, CC BY 2.0, Link
Bottles: By Marianne Casamance - Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Lien
Vine on pebble soil: Par jean-louis zimmermann, CC BY 2.0, Lien
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