From: Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
Varietals: 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 7% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault
Taste & Critical Acclaim:
Wine Advocate: 91-93 Points
Tasted from tank the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape looks to be another highly successful vintage. It boasts this cuvée's usual complex florals allied to red raspberries and cherries but it doesn't come across quite as concentrated or rich as the 2019 version. Medium to full-bodied it's silky in feel with a sense of charm and easy elegance.
Jeb Dunnuck: 91-93 Points - before bottling review
Not yet bottled the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape offers a rich full-bodied concentrated yet beautifully balanced style as well as the classic freshness and purity of the vintage. It has textbook notes of red and black berry fruits violets peppery garrigue and orange blossom with silky tannins and nicely integrated acidity.
Jeb Dunnuck: 93 pt - after bottling review
Vibrant black cherries, mulberries, peppery herbs, and spice are just some of the nuances in the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape, an utterly classic Châteauneuf du Pape that's medium to full-bodied, has the vintage's seamless profile, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. This beautiful, quintessential effort can be enjoyed any time over the coming 15 years or more. The 2020 is a normal blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 7% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault, brought up mostly in concrete tank, but with 20% in tronconique tanks and 5% in old barrels.
About. Official French records indicate that the Armenier family has been tending vines in Chateauneuf-du-Pape since the 1300's. Today, winemaker-sisters Catherine Armenier and Sophie Estevenin continue to write history with the wines of Domaine de Marcoux.
In 1990, the Domaine became the first in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape to implement biodynamic farming practices. Their youngest vines are 40 to 60-years-old, and in short, the sisters do as little as possible to the harvested grapes. This domaine, as critic Stephen Tanzer put it, is "the essence of Chateauneuf-du-Pape."
In 2003, Robert Parker named Sophie and Catherine on his list of "Wine Personalities of Year," writing, "Over the last 12 years, the biodynamically farmed vineyard has risen to the top of Chateauneuf-du-Pape's quality hierarchy. The two red wines produced have been stunning, with the regular cuvée of Chateauneuf-du-Pape one of the finest in the appellation, and the limited production Cuvée Vieilles Vignes one of the world’s truly magnificent wines."
