A Châteauneuf for Any Season
One of the things I love most about Châteauneuf-du-Pape is that there is no single expression of the appellation. Grenache may often lead the conversation, but differences in plot selection, soils, exposures, grape varieties and winemaking can take these wines in remarkably different directions.
These three wines are perfect examples. Piedlong is all about the lifted, translucent character of old-vine Grenache. Isabel Ferrando brings a more contemporary perspective, finding finesse and elegance from one of the warmer areas of the appellation. And then there is Beaucastel—one of the great historic estates of Châteauneuf, using the diversity of the appellation's permitted varieties to produce a wine built for the long haul.
Three very different expressions, with each one delivering something I love about Châteauneuf.
2023 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe "Piedlong" Châteauneuf-du-Pape $69.99 Top Pick | 98 JS | 94 JD | 93 VN The Brunier family is one of the great names of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Best known for Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe and its extraordinary holdings on La Crau, the family has been farming here for four generations. Piedlong offers another expression of their deep understanding of the appellation.
The wine is 90% Grenache from 70-year-old vines planted on the Piedlong plateau, north of the village and one of the highest points in Châteauneuf. The remaining 10% is Mourvèdre from 50-year-old vines in Pignan. After a long traditional fermentation, the wine spends 20 to 22 months in large French oak foudres.
At a recent staff training, this was a smash hit! The wine had that classic translucent color that immediately made me think of Grenache from yesteryear. But don't mistake that brightness for a lack of flavor. There is plenty going on here.
The Piedlong has a sweet, captivating quality to the fruit that is fresh, inviting and constantly evolving in the glass. We all paused and marveled at the way the wine danced across the palate. It was lithe and energetic, but never shorted you on flavor. Each sip seemed to bring you right back for another.
There is something so appealing about Châteauneuf when it doesn't rely on its weight to make its point. This has energy, movement and plenty of personality. Easily one of my favorite glasses of Châteauneuf-du-Pape I've had this year.
2022 Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape $94.99 96 JD | 94 JG | 94 RP | 94 VN | 94 WS · #10 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2025 Isabel Ferrando arrived in Châteauneuf-du-Pape as an outsider, leaving a career in finance to purchase Domaine St-Préfert in 2002. From her first vintage in 2003, she began developing her own vision for the estate, pursuing elegance and precision from the warm, stony soils of Les Serres.
Ferrando is one of the true cult icons of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and has never been afraid to challenge convention. Her work with organic and biodynamic farming, whole-cluster fermentation and aging in concrete, amphora and neutral oak helped establish her as one of the leading modern voices in the appellation. She has even explored special bottlings built entirely around grapes like Cinsault and Clairette.
In 2020, the estate became Famille Isabel Ferrando as her daughter Guillemette joined the production team, beginning another chapter for the domaine. The 2022 vintage also marked the estate's biodynamic certification.
The 2022 Ferrando is superb, brimming with blackberry fruit, herbes de Provence and subtle peppery spice. Its seamless structure and silken texture are unmistakably Isabel—composed, refined and deeply expressive. While it has the structure to age beautifully in the cellar, it already offers impressive complexity and charm for those eager to enjoy it now.
2023 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape $99.99 97 JS | 96 DC | 96 JD | 95 WS | 94 RP | 93 VN Any visit to Beaucastel is a highlight of my travels through the Rhône. After several years of major renovation, the estate now stands as one of the most efficiently run and fully carbon-neutral wineries in the region. I was fortunate to see the project at various stages of construction, though I have yet to walk through the finished cellar itself.
The 2023 growing season was dry and warm. I remember the heat clearly when I was there in June that year, with a splash of rain arriving only after I had returned home. In some years, such conditions can create excessive hydric stress, but Beaucastel's old vines—rooted deeply into the galets roulés—proved their resilience once again, delivering fruit of remarkable balance and depth.
This vintage is particularly interesting for its unusually high proportion of Mourvèdre. The finished wine brings together a broad range of the appellation's permitted varieties, creating a darker, more structured counterpoint to the Grenache-driven Piedlong.
The resulting wine is stupendous. Ripe cherry and strawberry confiture lead the way, followed by crushed herbs, licorice root and savory tobacco, all carried through on a long, resonant finish. This is another classic Beaucastel—one that balances the intense tone of 2007 with the length and structure of 2010. It is already a great Beaucastel today, and it should be a great one for decades to come.
Scores: JS James Suckling, JD Jeb Dunnuck, JG John Gilman, RP Wine Advocate, VN Vinous, WS Wine Spectator, DC Decanter.