Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022
Châteauneuf-du-Pape was among the first French appellations officially recognised, in 1936, and its name — the pope’s new castle — recalls the years when the papacy sat in Avignon. Our 2022 is an unusual Châteauneuf: a blend led by Mourvèdre rather than Grenache, earthy and aromatic, with soft, elegant tannin and ready to drink now.
- Area
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape, southern Rhône
- Grape variety
- 80% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache
- Alcohol
- 15%
- Characteristics
- Earthy, aromatic, medium to full-bodied, soft tannin
Soft and elegant tannin from this aromatically earthy Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This unpretentious vin d’assemblage of 80% Mourvèdre and 20% Grenache is ideal for the fall. An excellent medium to full-bodied red, ready to be drunk now.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the southern Rhône’s grand appellation: a plateau of rounded river stones — the galets roulés — over clay, sand and limestone, between Orange and Avignon, with the mistral to dry the vines and thirteen permitted grapes to blend from. Most of its wines are built on Grenache. The galets soak up the day’s heat and give it back at night, which is part of why the wines ripen so fully.
Mourvèdre is usually the seasoning in Châteauneuf, added for structure and a savoury, meaty depth; putting it in charge, at 80 per cent, gives a darker, earthier wine than the Grenache-led norm — black fruit, leather, dried herbs — with the Grenache lending warmth and roundness. It is a style you more often meet in Bandol, and it is a good way to understand what each grape brings to the classic blend.
2022 was a hot, dry year across the southern Rhône, with an early harvest and small berries that gave concentrated, generous wines. Mourvèdre, a late ripener that loves heat, did particularly well; the best wines carry their ripeness lightly, and this one is made to drink over the next few years rather than to cellar.