2016 Saint Prefert - Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Speciale Vieilles Clairettes
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Tasting notes
Bright straw-yellow. A powerfully scented nose evokes fresh honeydew melon, Meyer lemon, quinine and white flowers, and smoky iodine and mineral nuances build as the wine stretches out. Sappy, concentrated and incisive on the palate, offering vibrant citrus and orchard fruit flavors along with honeysuckle, sweet butter and spicy ginger flourishes. A dusty mineral element adds energizing lift and cut to a strikingly long, seamless finish that leaves behind a bright lemon pith note.
Critic scores
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Not yet bottled, but unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage is the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Spéciale Vieilles Clairettes Roses. Made from very old vine Clairette that was fermented and aged in demi-muids, it offers phenomenal notes of caramelized citrus, brioche, honeysuckle and white peach. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and with high acidity, it’s a much more lively, racy even, wine than the 2015 was at this stage. Forget bottles for 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades.
There are three demi-muids of the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Speciale, which will be bottled only in magnum. Made entirely from old-vine Clairette and vinified and matured in new oak, it's grand cru white Burgundy made in the Southern Rhone. Toasted hazelnut, grilled citrus and ginger notes abound in this wonderfully silky-textured, medium-bodied white that finishes incredibly long. Oct 2017, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Famille Isabel Ferrando is a leading wine producer in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.