| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Rhône > Southern Rhône > Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape is a beauty and has a rare level of concentration and depth in the vintage. Blueberry, crushed flowers, pepper, and violet aromas and flavors flow nicely to a medium to full-bodied, structured and tannic Beaucastel that has impressive purity and plenty of length. It’s not massive, but still needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for a decade after that. Drink 2020-2030.
Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise plus a 'medley' of other permitted varieties.
Extremely sweet on the front palate and unusually claret-like in its build (more obvious tannins than most?). A heady cocktail. Lots of tannins and acidity - pretty bruising on the finish.
Drink 2020-2035
Looking at the 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape, I was able to taste the individual components, with each showing fantastic depth and richness. The Mourvedre is the star of the show and had blockbuster levels of concentration and depth, with perfectly ripe tannin. While certainly not a Grenache year, even this variety showed well here, and it's obvious that the multiple passes through the vineyard during harvest and then multiple sorts in the winery paid off. This should come together beautifully in bottle and be one of the vintage's strongest efforts.
