The vineyards of Châteauneuf cover an area of about 3,200 hectares, spread over five communal areas. About half of it is located directly in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the left bank of the Rhone, after which the entire appellation is named. To the north is Orange with 381 hectares, followed by Courthézon to the north east with 663 hectares; in the east is Bédarrides with 353 hectares, while Sorgues in the south has the smallest share with 128 hectares. The most recent ten-year average production was about 95,000 hectolitres, of which just 5,000 hectolitres were white wine. Two-thirds of the production is exported abroad, 95 percent of the quantities produced come from wineries and private cellars, and five percent of the appellation wines are produced by cooperatives. There are 13 grape varieties permitted for the production of Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC, but Grenache makes up the majority with about three quarters. Not all wines are cuvées; there are also single-varietal bottlings made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. In the vineyards, the composition of the red varieties is currently as follows: 74.5 per cent Grenache noir (of which 2.47 per cent is Grenache blanc), 10.84 per cent Syrah, 6.61 per cent Mourvèdre, 2.57 per cent Cinsault, 0.44 per cent Cunoise, 0.34 per cent Muscardin, 0.13 per cent Vaccarèse and 0.03 per cent Terret. The white wine varieties are as follows: 2.31 per cent Clairette, 1.11 per cent Roussanne, 1.06 per cent Bourboulenc, 0.06 per cent Picpoul, and 0.001 per cent Picardan.

2020 WAS GREAT

Falstaff tasted a good 2,000 wines from the vintage and was suitably impressed: even at this early stage, the wines show themselves to be accessible, juicy and charming. The weather played along, the climatic conditions laying the foundations for a wide range of very appealing wines from this vintage. A winter with plenty of precipitation ensured a basic supply of moisture to the soils continued throughout the entire growing season. Spring was mild, dry and with plenty of sunshine, and so budbreak began relatively early. Flowering was quite even and the conditions for an early harvest were in place: the early summer was dry, and only in June did we get some rain – at exactly the right time – to allow preparation for a warm, but not excessively hot summer; the summer nights brought enough cooling to give the wines a certain freshness. The white wine harvest began at the end of August, followed by Syrah at the beginning of September, and in the middle of the month it was the turn of Mourvèdre and Grenache. There were isolated short rain showers, otherwise sunshine prevailed during the harvest. By the beginning of October, almost all the grapes were in the cellars.

The style of the 2020 is seductive and very accessible. The result of the very good climatic conditions are red wines with a juicy core, a fruity sweetness, elegant texture and good freshness. Depending on the variety dominance, the wines can show more or less spice, the ripe, velvety tannins are striking and even in their youth, the wines showing themselves to be immensely charming and accessible. The fruit component is more on the red berry side than the dark berry side, and thanks to their harmony, they can be enjoyed right away with the alcohol values between 14.5 and 15.5 per cent by volume. Due to their good balance, however, the wines are not perceived as heavy, but rather as full-bodied, and 2020 can therefore be drunk very young. However, nothing stands in the way of an extended ageing period, especially with wines from the northern sandy-limestone terroirs, which are dominated by Grenache, which have an almost Burgundian character. The wines from the deeper soils such as the Galets Roulés with clay subsoil of La Crau are very complex and juicy; these also have tannins for the long run.

LEGENDARY WINES

Some winemakers and cuvées have established the region’s now legendary reputation, with the most sought-after wine of the appellation to this day being Château Rayas, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape of exceptional finesse. In recent years, the wines of the estate have become an object of absolute speculation, with the prices of the wine, which is difficult to obtain anyway, going through the roof at auctions, and in the secondary trade: prices for the great 1990 vintage were already around 4,500 euros. However, the hype seems to have died down somewhat in the meantime. Over the years, growing quality awareness has led to the creation of special cuvées for which the winemakers have selected their best batches and barrels. One of these wines is the Hommage à Jacques Perrin from Château de Beaucastel, which first came onto the market in 1989 (top vintages: 1989, 1990, 1998, 2007, 2010). Hommage of Mourvèdre is only bottled in top years for late-ripening varieties; another legend is Henri Bonneau’s ‘Cuvée des Célestins’ (top vintages: 1970, 1978, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2001, 2007, 2010). André Brunel from the Les Cailloux winery created another myth with their Cuvée Centenaire. Up to 85 percent of these wines come from a Grenache vineyard that is over 110 years old (top vintages: 1990, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2015).

With the 1998 vintage, Domaine du Pégau joined those who offer a luxury cuvée in top years with Da Capo (top vintages: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2020). In addition, the winery has always produced special cuvées in limited editions and at the highest level, for example on the occasion of the birth of children and grandchildren. The most expensive special wine is the magnum-produced collector’s wine Les Gouttes d'Or from 2016 with only 100 pieces worldwide. Clos du Mont-Olivet is also one of the producers of top cuvées with its Cuvée du Papet. Vintages such as 1990, 2007 or 2010 are unquestionably among the Châteauneuf all-stars.