Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape were originally planted by the Knights Templar. In the fourteenth century, when the Papacy was established in Avignon, Pope Clement V built a summer residence in the village about 10 miles upstream. His (and his successors') love of the local wines encouraged the expansion of the vineyards and gave the village its name.

One of the most famous appellations in France – indeed, it is the birthplace of the appellation contrôlée system – Châteauneuf-du-Pape  produces many of the finest wines in the southern Rhône. Whilst some excellent white wines are made in the appellation, it is for its world class reds that Châteauneuf is so renowned. With 13 different grape varieties permitted, there is potential for an enormous range of styles. However, it is the different approaches to wine-making that determine the general style of each estate's wines.

Wines have a vast array of concentrated smells and flavours including a variety of hedgerow and stoned fruits, raspberry jam and roasted herbs (known as the smell of garrigues, the earthy, herby aroma of the Provençal scrublands). They tend to be chewy with high glycerin and alcohol levels and good tannic structures and are capable of considerable longevity, particularly in the classic Châteauneuf vintages. Indeed, it is not so many years ago that old-vine Châteauneuf and Gigondas were added to the all-too-often dilute wines of the negociants of Burgundy which were then sold as luxury Pinot Noir wines.

Vineyards cover almost all of the commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape itself as well as some parts of neighbouring communes Bédarrides, Courthézon, Orange and Sorgues which have similar soils made up (in the main) of large round quartz stones (the so-called galets) mixed with sandy red clay. The stones store the heat from the sun and release it throughout the night which with the Mistral wind contributes to this being one of the driest parts of the Rhône Valley.

So, what are the 13 permitted varieties?

Generally, about 65-70% of a wine comes from Grenache with around 15% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre which add colour, black fruit characters and complexity (Syrah) and structure, definition and aromatic complexity (Mourvèdre) to the Grenache base.

Today there are around 3,150 hectares (7,875 acres) under cultivation with basic yields around 35hl/ha. If it all made it into bottle, that would make over 140 million bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape each year. Naturally, it cannot be assumed that they will all be good. As with any other wine making region, the producer is key.

Useful tip: when buying Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, ensure that the bottle is embossed with either the crossed keys or the new bishop's mitre design and also that it has been bottled at the estate (mis en bouteille au domaine, for example). Negoçiant (and supermarket own-brand) wines can be a terrible waste of money! Another tip: many Châteauneuf-du-Pape estates own land just outside the appellation borders which is designated Cotes du Rhone. The wines are often mini-Châteauneuf, made in a similar style to their more illustrious neighbour and, as such, can represent fantastic value for money.