When it comes to French wine, most of the first things that come to mind are Bordeaux and Burgundy, so in the eyes of the Chinese people, Bordeaux and Burgundy must be the location of France's top fine wines. However, the French don't think so, and if you ask them where the best wines are in France, you'll probably hear a name you may not have heard of: Châteauneuf-Duc des Papes.
1. The hero of Papal Neufschaft
The Lanyu Cultural Winery Design Institute found that the fame of Château-Du-Pape-Neuf is inseparable from the wine emperor Robert Parker.
Château-Du-Du-Bac was originally an obscure wine region in the south of France, and it was not until seven hundred years ago, when Pope Clermont V temporarily moved the Holy See to Avignon, that the Holy See began to come into contact with wines from the Rhône Valley appellation. Because the pope loved wine, it brought indelible merit to the development of the wine industry here.
Popes are wine lovers, and seven consecutive popes have encouraged winemaking and the expansion of vineyards in the region, and some popes have even practiced farming in the vineyards, and the wine here is called the "papal royal wine".
Later, Pope John XXII built a summer palace near Avignon, and the wines of this area were heard from the holy see. The appellation was granted an official appellation in 1933.
The Rhône Valley region has been known since ancient times for producing top wines, and its reputation has far surpassed Bordeaux. According to literature from more than two hundred years ago, the most expensive wine in Parisian fine dining restaurants came from the Hermitage region of the North Rhône Valley, not Bordeaux or Burgundy. However, good wines from the early Rhone Valley regions were limited to the North Rhone Valley, and South Rhone Valley wines were always listed as barbarian villageers' wines. Interestingly, the impetus for the rise of Papa Neufs in the South Rhone Valley was the Americans who were regarded by the French as barbarian villagers: Robert Parker, emperor of the wine world.
Parker is famous for commenting on Bordeaux wines, but his personal favorite is the Rhone Valley wines. He once wrote a six-hundred-page book on wines in the Rhone Valley, in which the chapter on Châteauneuf-Pape-Neuf-appellation opened with the inscription: "I love Château-Duc-Duc wine!" 》
In the 1980s and 1990s, under the strong admiration of Parker, Papal Neufrange wine became one of the pillars of the world wine stage.
As shown in the figure above, in the grading system of the Rhône valleys in the South Rhône Valley, Château-Du-Du-Duc is at the top of the pyramid and the quality of its wines is also the best.
2. Terroir
Good wine, of course, is inseparable from good terroir. Located in the southern Rhône Valley of France, Château-Du-Duc is the most famous and important wine region in the southern part of the Rhône Valley.
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation has a Mediterranean climate, mild winters and abundant sunshine in summer, making it the driest region in the entire Rhône Valley, with an annual sunshine duration of about 2,800 hours, but fortunately mistral winds prevail in the region, and cool breezes blowing from the northwest effectively regulate the climate, although sometimes the winds break seedlings and branches, but the influence of mistral winds on the quality of wines in the region is indelible.
The vineyard area of Châteauneuf-pape is 3,133 hectares, the soil in the area is very special, mainly distributed in three kinds of soils, one is clay limestone soil, which produces more white wine, the wine body is full, the aroma is rich, and it can also maintain a fresh and crisp feeling; the second is that the southern region is rich in sandy red clay, and the performance is also covered with a large number of pebbles, the wine produced here is mainly red wine, the wine body is full, the structure is strong, and it is the representative of the high quality of the Châteauneuf-Duc; the third is sand, pebbles, Clay-blended yellow soils, distributed in some areas further north of the appellation, produce wines that are lighter, more refined and often pronounced
Third, the mainstream grape varieties
Grenache is one of the most internationally renowned red grape varieties and is the king of grapes in Papa Neufsberg. Grenache produces wines that are lighter in colour, have a higher alcohol content and are aromatic. However, in Château du Pape, the blending of wine is also an art. There are more than a dozen varieties of legal red grapes here. Grenache is often blended with Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault to complement and coordinate with each other.
There are 13 official grape varieties in the appellation: Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Grenache, Clairette, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Picardan, Picpoul, Counoise , Muscardin, Vaccarese and Terret Noir. But Grenache Blanc can be divided into Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and Pigpüller can be divided into Picpoul Blanc, Picpoul Gris and Picpoul Noir, and Clairette Gris, which leads to another theory. There are 18 official grape varieties in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Château du Pape-Neu produces around 10 million litres a year, of which red wines account for 93% and white wines account for 7%. Among them, the red grape variety Grenache accounted for the largest proportion, and Syrah, Shenso, and Muhe white also performed well. In terms of vinification, the red wines here are sometimes made with 100% Grenache, sometimes with a variety of grape varieties, and the aging can be carried out in stainless steel tanks, cement tanks, and oak barrels of various sizes, but usually the proportion of new oak barrels is not high. The resulting wine is full of flavor, full of aromas, and a very few wines can also be brewed exquisitely and charmingly. For white wines, Hussan, Grenachet and Clare are more commonly used, and the wines are mature and full, but still make people feel the refreshing aroma of citrus fruits.
4. The famous village of Châteauneuf-Duc
Famous wineries such as Chateau Rayas, Chateau de Beaucastel, Chateau La Nerthe, Clos des Papes and Domaine du Pegau often produce high-quality red wines that are uplifting after a full-bodied aging.
1
Château Desirs
Anyone who has spent some time in Papal Neufstein can tell a story about the Winery of The Siyas. Standing on the sand, the main building is still functional, the signature sign of the cellar is rusty, and the old and old oak barrels lie quietly in the cellar, and the barrels contain extremely pure and delicate jade liquid jelly. For the South Rhone Valley, the Silk is like Petrus to Bordeaux, maverick, understated and mysterious but full of charm.
Currently, Château Desirs is managed by Emmanuel Reynaud, the fourth generation of the Reynaud family. In Château-Du-Pape, famous for its GSM blends, Château Séias is unique in that it has produced Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France) at 100% Grenache, which has an amazingly pure fruity aroma, smooth and delicate texture, long and charming aftertaste, and is a rare art in the appellation.
2
Bocastell Winery
Bocastell Winery is the first Rhone Valley estate promoted by Robert Parker in his famous book The World's Greatest Wine Estate. The fourth generation of the winery, Jean-Pierre Perrin and Francois Perrin, were awarded the title of "Men of the Year" by Decanter, and it was they who created the winery's flagship wine, Château Bocastle, in tribute to chateau de Beaucastle Hommage a Jacques Perrin, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France), a red wine based on the old vine Muhe white, has received many perfect ratings from Parker and is now one of the legendary wines of the Rhone Valley.
In addition to red wines, Bocastell Winery's white wines are also recognized and well-known in the region. Chateau de Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France is one of the top white wines in France, with most vintages receiving a high score of 95+ from the Robert Parker Team. The 2009 vintage also received a perfect score from Parker himself. Made from 100% Hussan, the vines are 85-100 years old and produce an average of just 6,000 bottles a year, making it a wine with complex aromas, a full body, a long and juicy finish and excellent aging potential.
3
Parp Winery
According to James Molesworth, senior editor of Wine Spectator (WS), Château Pape has been the flagship winery of châteauneuf-Pape since 1990, with founder Paul Avril (1873-1962) being one of the founders of the papal-new-castle appellation, and the current owner, Paul Avril Vincent Avril set the benchmark for wine production in the New Caste du Pape appellation today. Vincent Avery once confessed: "I don't put medium-quality wines in bottles with my name on them. "It also shows his determination to make only top-of-the-line wines."
The wines produced by Château Pape are often made from multiple grape varieties from multiple plots, with a unique personality and complex flavors, combining fullness and freshness. Among them, papas des Papes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France, France has received more than 95 points of praise from major wine critics all year round, and its 2005 vintage has topped the 2007 WS Top 100 List. In addition, the quality of Clos des Papes Blanc, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France) is particularly outstanding, and its 2009 vintage also ranked in the top 10 of the 2010 WS Top 100.
4
Chateau Chabang
The Sabon family, who run the Chateau Des Sabang, is one of the oldest vineyard owners in château-du-Pape, and has been cultivating vineyards in the region for hundreds of years since 1540. The winery's founder, Roger Sabon, was also once called "one of the smartest winemakers in Papal Neufsburg". Currently, the estate is run by two generations of Roger Chaban's grandchildren.
Château Chabon produces a number of new Château Des Papes wines, among which the Sabon Le Secret Des Sabon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France is the bright star of the wines of the appellation, and has received full praise from Parker in two vintages. The wine is usually made from grenaches with a small number of grapes from a small number of other varieties, which are more than 100 years old vines. Interestingly, apart from the winery itself, almost no one knows the specific grape varieties and precise blending ratios of this wine, which has become a big secret of the winery over time, which is also the origin of the name "Secret of Sabang".
Of course, in addition to the above wineries, there are other heavyweight wineries in Château-Du-Pape, such as Clos du Mont-Olivet, Chateau La Nerthe, Domaine du Pegau and Domaine Henri Bonneau, which vividly interpret the infinite charm of "Papal Wine" with their own high-quality and unique wines.
5. Embossed pattern
According to the 1937 regulations of the 1937 Châteauneuf-Duc-Duc Wine industry, Château-ny-Gra wines must use relief bottles bearing the papal emblem to distinguish other counterfeit Papal-Noeucas wines. The "towering papal crown and the two keys of the cross-configuration" is the unique village emblem of the Papal Neuf and is also the most common relief pattern. This highlights the prominent historical position of Châteauneuf-Duc and the excellent quality of the wines. On the other hand, for consumers, the embossed pattern makes the wine bottle more artistic, giving people a sense of nobility, and collecting gifts is suitable.
The quality of the wine is still radish greens, each with its own love. However, Lanyu Cultural Winery Design Institute believes that if everyone says yes, or if one person's opinion is recognized and followed by everyone, it means that the wine here has been recognized by the majority of the people, indicating that these wines are most likely in line with your appetite. China's local tycoons have fried Bordeaux and Burgundy, but in fact, there are many good wines in France, and if you have the opportunity, you may wish to try more, and you will find a more cost-effective wine suitable for yourself.