2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc
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Tasting notes
The 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc presents a delicate, perfumed bouquet featuring notes of reduction, smoke, hydrocarbon (reminiscent of a Riesling), herbs and white fruits, signaling the onset of its peak maturity. Medium to full-bodied, dense and tense, it showcases perfect balance with a fleshy, sappy core of fruit and a lovely, gastronomic bitterness—thanks to the prominent proportions of Bourboulenc and Piquepoul imposed by the vintage. This stunning Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc promises to continue evolving beautifully over the next decade.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Brilliant straw. Mineral-accented aromas of quince, tangerine and smoky minerals, plus hints of jasmine, iodine and brioche. Silky and tightly focused on the palate, offering concentrated orchard fruit, citrus fruit and honeysuckle flavors underscored by intense minerality. The strikingly long, sappy finish shows lingering stoniness and superb focus and tenacity.
The 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc incorporates slightly less Grenache Blanc than normal and has more Bourboulenc and Picpoul in the blend. As always, it didn’t go through malolactic fermentation and was raised all in stainless steel. Hitting 13.6% natural alcohol, its medium-gold color is followed by lots of apple, lemon curd and citrus-like fruit characteristics that give way to more spice, toast and minerality with time in the glass. Vibrant, fresh and borderline racy, while not being lean, it’s an outstanding white that will benefit from a year in bottle and have a graceful evolution for another decade or more. Oct 2015, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Few estates have shaped the identity of Châteauneuf-du-Pape quite like Clos des Papes. For generations, the Avril family has remained devoted to a single benchmark cuvée, crafted from more than twenty vineyard parcels to express the appellation at its finest.
Product details
Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc / Garnacha Blanca, Clairette
White
Dry