The final blend had been made at the time of my visit to the Guigal cellars in Ampuis, where I tasted the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Grand Vin prior to bottling. Black cherries, blackberries and just a hint of of toasty oak mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, plush and velvety, finishing long and harmonious despite obvious concentration and power. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.
The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Grand Vin showed consistently (this is the third time I’ve tasted this from barrel), with lots of cassis, blackberry, peppery herbs, garrigue, and spicy nuances in a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, elegant package. It looks to be a clear step up over the Saintes Pierres de Nalys, but both are beautiful wines.
This lures you in with a well of slightly warmed cassis mixed with raspberry pâte de fruit and mulled bitter cherry. On the back end, waves of menthol, tobacco, cast iron and warm earth mix in with the fruit. Youthfully backward and on the brawny side, this will need some cellaring to resolve fully. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse. Best from 2024 through 2038.
Saturated ruby. Expansive, smoke- and mineral-accented black raspberry, cherry cola, cassis, baking spice and succulent herb scents show outstanding detail and lift. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering vibrant red/blue fruit liqueur, candied lavender, spicecake and licorice flavors that stain the palate. Powerful yet impressively lively and focused on the extremely long, floral- and spice-driven finish, which is framed by steadily building tannins.
With earthy intensity, this wine presents fresh aromas of black cherry, currant, wild thyme, and vanilla. The palate is powerful, beginning with a round layer of wild strawberry before transitioning to black cherries, plum, clove, and cocoa. Silky tannins and balanced acidity hint at its potential, though it needs more time to fully harmonize. Cellar through 2030+ for optimal development.
A cool and collected style of Châteauneuf, mineral and elegant, no excesses. Well balanced, with the oak only faintly visible in the background. It elongates the wine however, adding a layer of complexity. This is measured and precise. Grown largely on galets roulés soils, also some sand and hard sandstone, on lieux-dits Bois Sénéchaux, La Crau and Grand Pierre. Fermented and matured in a variety of containers, mostly in tronconic vats and concrete tanks, with 15% of the maturation taking place in new barriques.