Lucien Barrot Chateauneuf du Pape 2013

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a historic village between the towns of Orange and Avignon, in France’s southern Rhône Valley. It is famous for powerful, full-bodied red wine, largely made from the classic southern Rhône grape trio of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

These three varieties are behind the vast majority of the appellation’s red wines. However, a total of eighteen red and white grape varieties are approved for use.

Grenache is the principle variety of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is well suited to the terroir and performs better here than in any other French wine region. Varietal Grenache is juicy with jammy red-fruit and black-cherry flavors with a high potential alcohol. It is aged in either vats or oak barrels for up to 18 months to create a rich and complex wine.

The region is most notable for the GSM blend, with many producers creating Grenache dominant wines with Syrah and Mourvèdre in smaller proportions.

Syrah grows most successfully in the town’s cooler sites, and brings structure and spiced black-fruit notes to the blend. The late ripening Mourvèdre flourishes only in the hotter, drier vineyards, and adds dark depths and bitter chocolate notes. These three varieties constitute approximately 90 percent of vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.