The Cellar: The Whites of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Friday, April 24, 2015

Steffen Rasch, GoLocalWorcester Wine Writer

At a recent tasting at the Providence Wine Academy participants learned about, and tasted through, the diverse and quality driven wines France’s Rhone Valley. Among the wines sampled was a somewhat unusual wine; a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The roughly 8.000 acre appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is arguably Southern Rhone’s most famous wine region. The words ‘Châteauneuf-du-Pape’ literally translates into ‘the Pope’s new Château’ and refers to when the papacy moved from Rome to Avignon in 1309. Newly elected Pope Clement V was a Frenchman, as well as wine enthusiast, so it wasn’t surprising that local famers and winemakers created a wine in his honor. The wine would live on even after the papacy moved back to Rome in 1377. Châteauneuf-du-Pape was among the very first appellations to gain official appellation status and today the regions powerful wines continues to draw much hype – a lot of times for good reason.

The most commonly available Châteauneuf-du-Papes are red wines based primarily on Grenache, with Syrah and Mouvedre. The rules of the region, however, allows for the inclusion up to 18 different grapes – including the white varieties Roussanne, Grenache blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc of which this week’s featured white wine is composed of. The now certified organic Château La Nerthe is a very historic Estate. Its existence can be traced back to as early as 1560. While the Château itself is located in the heart of Châteauneuf, the Estate’s 225 acres of vineyards are spread throughout the appellation. What this translates into is many sources of fruit, growing in many different types of soils, in many different micro-climates.

Their 2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is a blend of 40% Roussanne, 40% Grenache Blanc, 10% Clairette and 10% Bourboulenc sourced from several different vineyards. The Roussanne was fermented by itself in oak barrels of which 33% were new. The remaining grapes were co-fermented in stainless steel. After fermentation 25% of that wine was then aged in oak barrels while the remaining 75% was kept in stainless steel tanks preserving much of the acidity and fruit flavors. Before bottling all the different vats were blended together resulting in this very complex and absolutely delicious wine.

Most Châteauneuf-du-Papes are not only capable of, but in fact needs bottle aging before consumption. That goes for many of the whites as well. This 2012 bottling is one I would love to taste again in 5 years. At this stage of its life the wine is very young and vibrant. There is a density of flavor boasting with ripe honeydew melon, peaches and citrus fruit. The extremely soft texture, coupled with a very long finish is an indication of a wine well-made. This wine retails for around $60 per bottle with 3.500 cases produced. For a complete list of wines sampled at the tasting click here.

Cheers,

Steffen Rasch is a Certified Sommelier and Specialist of Wine. Feel free to email him at [email protected] with any wine-related question or learn about wine in person by signing up for one of his tastings through the Providence Wine Academy. The next tasting is scheduled for Sunday, may 31st during which participants will be exploring the classic grape varieties Pinot Gris, Gamay and Merlot.

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