Châteauneuf-du-Pape
La Réserve
Rouge 2016
Download Technical Information (PDF) Download HD Photo2016 VINTAGE: An excellent cellaring potential.
The vintage 2016 benefited from really exceptional weather conditions, allowing us to harvest every bloc with optimal maturity.
Following by soft winter and cool spring, summer was hot and dry.
However, we were able to observe very high thermal amplitudes between day and night, favoring the synthesis of polyphenols.
Harvest started on August 31st with the white grapes and on September 7th with red grapes, for 3 weeks.
Nevertheless, the drought of the summer lead to decrease the size of berries, as a result of low yield but with outstanding juice.
Red wines have dense and dark dresses with very high levels of anthocyanins and very beautiful tannic structures leading to predict an exceptional potential of ageing.
SOILS CHARACTERISTICS: Sandy soil located on the lieu-dit " La Guigasse" and "Pignan".
VINIFICATION :
Harvest started on September 28th.
Hand-picking with sorting in the vineyard and then in cellar.
De-stemming and co-fermentation in wooden tanks with wild yeasts.
Manual punch-down and delestages are made during all the grape maceration (33 days).
BLEND: 65% Grenache - 35% Mourvèdre
AGEING: 88% in demi-muids (600L) (30% in new oak and 70% of 4 wines) and 12% in terracotta amphora (500L), for 14 months.
WINEMAKER TASTING NOTES:
This wine presents a magnificent Andrinople red colour to the velvet reflections. The nose is delicate, dominated by notes of cloves and Zan in the violet with roasting notes associated with vanilla liqueur. The mouth is magnificent, supported by a beautiful tannic structure in the smooth tannins, dominated by complex aromas of red berries and wild berry jam. This wine is intended for a very long ageing and will accompany gastronomic dishes of the French Cuisine.
FOOD AND WINE PAIRING:
Herbs and pistachio nuts crusted rack of lambs – Salmi of pheasant – Hare à la Royale – Roasted woodcock in the bacon.
The Wine Advocate: 98-100/100 « The potentially perfect 2016 La Réserve shows incredible depth and richness. Breathtaking»
Jeb Dunnuck: 96-100/100 « Just gorgeously pure, seamless, impeccably balanced"