Domaine de la Charbonniere Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge "Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix"

Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix”

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • A single 22 acre parcel, this evocatively named cuvée, named Mourre des Perdrix, is a specific terroir composed of sands, pebbles and safres.
  • This type of soil gives floral, fruity and feminine wine, with blackberry and forest floor on the nose and a delightful silky palate.

Varietal Composition: 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre

Elaboration: Enormous care is taken at harvest time. It is done in a traditional method: hand-picked harvest with a selective sorting of grapes in the vineyard and at the cellar (by using a sorting table), which are proofs of quality. We kept 25% whole clusters in this Cuvée. The vinification has be done in tronconic oak vats. The alcoholic fermentation lasts 4 to 5 weeks with different operations : A release, punching of the cap and pumping over. The malolactic fermentation is made in demi-muids and oak vats. Elevage continues in oak vats and in demi-muids

Tasting Notes: Notes of raspberry, ground laurel, garrigue and butterscotch. The mouth is very elegant with velvety tannins and a long dark berries & licorice finish.

PRESS

2015 – 90 Jeb Dunnuck | 92 Wine Advocate | 92 James Suckling | 94 Wine Spectator

2016 – 94 Vinous | 94 James Suckling | 94 Wine Spectator | 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 Wine Advocate | 96 Wine Enthusiast “Cellar Selection”

2017 – 92 Vinous | 94 James Suckling | 94 Wine Spectator | 94 Wine Advocate | 95 Jeb Dunnuck

2018 – 94 Vinous

2019 – 92 Wine Advocate | 94 Wine Spectator | 95 James Suckling | 95 Jeb Dunnuck

2020 – 93-95 Wine Advocate | 94 Vinous | 94 Wine Spectator | 95 James Suckling | 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck

2021 – 94 Wine Spectator | 91 Jeb Dunnuck

PRODUCER BACKGROUND

Domaine de la Charbonnière has been the singular passion of the Maret family since their purchase of this iconic property in 1912. The young and charismatic Veronique Maret is responsible for the recent meteoric rise of Charbonnière – Veronique is handling all winemaking and somehow also finding the time to run the Domaine’s sales activities. One of the most important changes Veronique made since taking over in 2012 was the move to organic viticulture. Organic farming really started to make its mark on the finished wines in 2014 and the press we’ve been seeing from that point on only validates our opinion on that front. Domaine de la Charbonnière’s holdings spread over 68 acres in some of the region’s most sought after lieu dits – 49 of these in Châteauneuf du Pape, 15 in Vacqueyras, 4 in Côtes du Rhône. Winemaking is traditional with a profound respect for grapes and terroir. Reds are fermented in conical wood vats, and aged in a mix of demi muids and barrels. While the majority of our Charbonniere references are red, Insiders have long sought out the property’s white wine offerings, which we make available to you with wide grins on our faces. These are all tactile wines that combine elegance and serious depth at once.

Print Review Shelf Talker (2019 – 94 Wine Spectator)
Print Review Shelf Talker (2021 – 94 Wine Spectator)