2019 Chateau de Vaudieu Chateauneuf-du-Pape Clos du Belvedere

100% Grenache Blanc. Aged in old oak for eight months. Tasted blind. Nice depth of fruit on the nose here – sweet fruit and a subtle note of oak. Clean and pure and very acid led – perhaps a little simple? (AC)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Clos Du Belvédère Blanc checks in as 100% Grenache Blanc, all from a single parcel of vines around the estate. Brought up all in older barrels, it offers a Grand Cru white Burgundy-like bouquet of caramelized orchard fruits, white currants, wood smoke, scorched earth, and a beautiful sense of minerality. The purity is just about off the charts in this magical wine, which hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a beautiful spine of acidity, flawless balance, and a great finish. It’s unquestionably one of the greatest whites I’ve tasted from the estate and is quite possibly the wine of the vintage in 2019 whites. Château de Vaudieu is located in the center of the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation, just south of Rayas. The estate is impeccably run by Laurent Bréchet with the winemaking falling to consultant Philippe Cambie. Today they release a number of special cuvées based largely on individual parcels around the domaine. The winemaking can be thought of as quasi-modern, with most of the wines destemmed and brought up in older barrels and demi-muids. New oak is kept to a minimum and the wines always show Provençal, elegant characters. In addition to the brilliant reds, this estate fashions some of the greatest whites in the appellation!

All old-vine Grenache Blanc grown on galets roulés and red clay, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Clos du Belvedere boasts remarkable freshness and verve allied to ample weight and concentration. Scents of mixed citrus mark the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate delivers scintillating notes of tangerine and lime, plus some gently herbal notes on the long, vibrant finish. It's clearly one of the best varietal Grenache Blancs to have passed this taster's lips, but I would suggest drinking it over the next several years to be sure to catch it in its youthful splendor.