Chateauneuf du Pape

Chateauneuf du Pape is a wine worth exploring for its history as well as what it has to offer in taste.

This French AOC, comprising almost 7,500 acres of vineyards, is located in the southern Rhone Valley.  It is probably one of the best know and most highly regarded Rhone appellations today.   That, however, was not the case for much of its long and storied history.

The area is the site of a decisive historic battle between the Romans and the Gauls in 121 BC and later, it was the Romans who initiated viniculture here.  After the fall of the Roman Empire, the church became the principal instrument of winemaking throughout southern France.  The Templars settled there in the mid twelfth century and gave the area the name Castrum Novum  (New Camp or New Fort).  The village name later became Chateauneuf-Calcernier, which paid tribute to its earlier name as well as the area’s sandy and rocky soil.  It wasn’t until 1893 that the village formally adopted the name of its wine, “Chateauneuf du Pape” as its own name.   After Pope Clement moved the papacy to Avignon in 1308, the area began to be utilized as a summer papal residence.   The castle that subsequently became synonymous with the wine and the village was built by Pope John XXII in 1320.  This Avignon Pope was a promoter of the wines produced there and it was he who first called the wines  “Vin du Pape”, which much later evolved to Chateauneuf du Pape.   

The wines from this region have widely varied in presentation due to the variations in soil conditions, a range of winemaking styles and the wide number of grapes historically utilized.  The AOC regulations in effect today were not established until the late 1930’s and still permit up to 13 red and white varietals to be utilized in the red Chateauneuf du Pape.  Grenache is always dominant and must be 50% of the final product, which must be aged at least one year on oak.  This allows a wide range of expression in the wine.  The Chateauneuf du Pape most often imported to the U.S. is generally a Grenache Syrah and Mourvedre blend.  You may also encounter some utilization of Counoise and Cinsault in these.  The growth in popularity of Chateauneuf du Pape as a French export is largely due to exposure given by two prominent wine critics, Janis Robison and Robert Parker, Jr.  Parker’s promotion of the wine, in particular, gave impetus to a fourfold increase in the average price of Chateauneuf du Pape in this country in a single decade.  (No wonder the Chateauneuf Winemakers Union lobbied to have Parker made an honorary citizen of their village!)

In The Wine Guy's humble opinion, it is the GSM and similar blends in which this wine finds its best expressions.  Complex fruit characteristics, smooth tannins and superb, subtle, lingering finishes abound in the better selections.  Chateauneuf du Pape is a wine well worth exploring!

Carr Winery, One to Watch in Santa Barbara!

During our recent visit to Santa Barbara, Mrs. Wine Guy and I did a portion of the Urban Wine Trail in the city of Santa Barbara, revisiting some familiar tasting rooms and seeking some new discoveries. Of those discoveries, the most enjoyable was in a converted Quonset hut on Salsipuedes Street (see photos), the home of Carr Winery.

Owned by Ryan Carr, this winery sources its grapes from a number of Santa Barbara vineyards. All are clients of a vineyard management company founded by Ryan in partnership with Andy Kahn. Ryan learned viniculture and wine making “hands-on” after returning to California from the University of Arizona where he degreed in graphic design. His first wine totaled 10 cases and was made in a garage but today he produces in excess of 3,000 cases annually. In addition to the Santa Barbara’s favorite, Pinot Noir, Carr also produces Pinot Gris, Grenache, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

His Pinot Noir is flavorfully competitive in a land full of good Pinot Noir and his Paredon Vineyards Grenache was viable, as well, with smooth, supple round tannins and a hint of tobacco on the nose. It was, however his Syrah and his Cabernet Franc which captured most of The Wine Guy’s attention.

The 2007 Carr Vineyards and Winery Cabernet Franc utilizes grapes from two vineyards in the Santa Ynez valley and has a light but appealing nose with good blueberry and herbal flavors. There was a slight acidity to the wine and the somewhat crisp edge to the finish hinted of a wine that was still young in its presentation. The fullness of the tannins suggested there was both room and potential for improvement with ageing. For that reason it was one of the wines I choose to bring home.

Both the Carr Santa Barbara Syrah and the Paredon Syrah offered black fruit flavors accented with spice and distinctive moist leather palpability on the palate. The 18-months of oak aging and slightly higher (15%) alcohol content of the Carr label offered a little more accent on the spice. The Paredon Syrah was very smooth, well balanced and had a pleasant lingering finish. It too made the list for wine to bring home

I learned much of Ryan’s story and history after returning home and researching his background. His dedication to beginning the development of the wine in the vineyard and his work with other growers and winemakers in learning his craft while having his sense of style and purpose remind me a great deal of Eric Glomski of Paige Spring Cellars in Arizona. Both these young developing winemakers deserve to be watched as trailblazers and both have the potential to produce some outstanding wines in the future.

If you elect to the Urban Wine Trail on a future visit to Santa Barbara, make the Carr Vineyards and Winery a must stop on your tasting tour!


A supplemental note from The Wine Guy:

The two Syrah from Ryan Carr were among a group of five enjoyable and very well made Syrah that I tasted during my stay in Santa Barbara. All five had some unique and common flavor characteristics that lead me to believe Santa Barbara has the opportunity to produce a signature style in this varietal.

Grenache..A Great Wine to Discover

Despite being one of the world’s most widely planted grapes, Grenache doesn’t get a lot of recognition from the everyday wine drinker. Its common usage as a blending grape to add body and fruitiness to red wine blends may account for that. However, The Wine Guy believes it is deserving of some study and exploration here on Roger’s Grapevine.

Grenache probably is of Spanish origins where it is called Granacha. Records of its cultivation date back 800 years in the Aragon region where it is sometimes also referred to as Tinto Aragones. It traveled across the Pyrenees to Roussilon and from there made its way into the vineyards of Languedoc and the Rhone Valley. It also traveled to the Italian island of Sardinia where it is called Cannonau. Grenache was the dominant red grape varietal planted in Australia until the late 19th century when Shiraz began its popularity with Australian vintners. Today it is growing in usage in many wine-producing areas, most notably California, Washington, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and South Africa.

This thin-skinned grape is a very early budding vine but takes a lot of time under sun and heat to ripen. The harvesting of Grenache often occurs weeks later than Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, Grenache has a higher sugar and higher alcohol content. It produces a soft body wine that’s berry flavored with some spice and is low in tannins. As a blending grape it adds some body, some softness and fruitiness to the grapes it is blended with. Those are typically Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvedre and more recently, Tempranillo. Its fruity characteristics combined with low acidity and its pale coloring has made it well suited for producing rose’s, principally from Provence in France and Navarra in Spain. It can present some challenges for growers. Its woody vines and tendency to produce higher yields require more intense manual pruning. They also present challenges where mechanical harvesting is highly practiced. Its tight fruit clusters bring some susceptibility to plant diseases. It is, however, drought resistant and tolerates a variety of harsh soil conditions. Different soil characteristics will temper its flavor profile, with some regions enhancing the subtle spice notes of thyme and sage, some accenting the blackberry, raspberry, and cherry fruit notes. In the Priorat region of Spain, the grape takes on an almost licorice quality.

Grenache has three dominant forms, Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris. It has also been utilized in crossing to produce some other interesting grape varietals. Alicante Bouschet is a notable example (explore the Roger’s Grapevine archives for more on this wine).

You’ll find a Grenache in a lot of recognizable blends such as France’s Chateauneuf du Pape and Cotes du Rhone, Spain’s Rioja and GSM’s from Australia. Its high sugar content lends itself to the production of fortified wines and it can be found in some Australian Ports and the French port-like Banyuls. The production of Grenache as a single or dominant (85% +) wine is becoming much more common with Spanish, Australian and Californian producers leading the movement.

If you’re looking to explore Grenache, The Wine Guy has a few suggestions of some good examples to try:

From France:

Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape: Chateauneuf du Pape is a classic French blend that can contain varying proportions of up to eighteen different varietals but almost always is dominated by Grenache Noir and Syrah as a red and by Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris as a white. Guigal is a consistently good producer whose wine will typically retail in the $30 range.

Gabriel Meffre La Chasse du Pape: Labeled as a Cotes du Rhone, this wine is very similar to most Chateauneuf du Papes at less cost, this wine retails around $10 in the Prestige and under $20 in the Reserve. It is mostly Grenache and Syrah with a little Cinsault.

Paul Jaboulet Parallelle 45 Cotes du Rhone: An interesting Grenache/Syrah blend that is consistently good and offers some interesting subtle hints of coffee and orange for under $15 per bottle.

From Australia:

Grant Burge Holy Trinity GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre): A high quality blend from the Barossa Valley with great representations of both fruit and spice characteristics. It retails around $30 and is one of the few dominantly Grenache blends that ages very well.
(The high sugar and low tannin characteristics of Grenache often make it more susceptible to oxidation and thus, most Grenache wines should be drunk fairly young)

R Wines Bitch Grenache: Also from the Barossa Valley, this 100% Grenache is fairly fruit forward. It took the U.S. market by storm about two years ago and its now hard to find 2006 vintage got a couple of 90 point ratings in the trade. It may vary a little from vintage to vintage but it is generally affordably found under $10.

From Spain:

Grenacha is found in numerous Spanish wines in varying degrees and Spain is also one of the largest producers of single variety Grenacha. Do explore a number of these, particularly any from the Priorat region. One standout recommendation would be:

Bodegas Borsao Campo de Borja: A good pure Grenacha that’s fruit forward without losing spice notes. This wine has back-to-back vintages scoring 88 and 89 points and generally retails well under $10.

From California:

Cline Cashmere: A silky blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah that is priced in the $15 range. This is a fabulous sipping wine especially suitable to give to your favorite lady for Valentine’s Day. Long time devotees of this wine will note the addition of a pink ribbon to the label denoting the wine’s support in the fight against breast cancer.

J. Fillipi Pride of Cucamonga Grenache Noir: The Wine Guy got this $10 wine at the winery and I’m not sure it’s available at retail but I included it because I also heartily recommend a visit the winery tasting room in Rancho Cucamonga. The Fillipi family has a four-generation history beginning with ties to the historic Guasti Italian Vineyard Company (see Roger’s Grapevine on 1/14/10). They founded their own winery in 1922. The winery tasting room is worth a visit for their display of area winemaking history as well as the wines. You’ll also want to try their Joseph Fondante Ciello, a port style dessert wine with infused chocolate. Visit them online at www.josephfllipiwinery.com.

Grenache offers wonderful opportunities for your wine exploration. Enjoy a glass soon!