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2016 Domaine de la Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

November 19, 2023 - $76

Estimate

RATINGS

97Wine Enthusiast

Veins of smoke, pepper and clove penetrate powerful black plum and mulberry flavors in this wine. It's exuberantly rich yet avoids feeling brooding or brawny.

97-99Jeb Dunnuck

...knocks it out of the park with its huge nose of currants, seaweed, incense, garrigue, and chocolate. Just a massive, deep, powerful wine, with sweet tannin and remarkable purity...

96-98The Wine Advocate

...veers toward black cherries, cola and spice. It's full-bodied, rich and velvety, but it takes a different tack than the more open and charming Les Hautes Brusquières bottling.

96James Suckling

Wild, dark berries, spicy and meaty complexity, plenty of crushed violets and an earthy edge... The palate has an immensely strong core of essence-like, black-fruit flavors, top-quality tannins and superior depth.

95Wine Spectator

...delivers an intense beam of fig, boysenberry and blackberry paste flavors, inlaid with licorice snap, singed spice and warm fruitcake notes. The long finish is well-structured, letting the fruit play out against a graphite backdrop.

95Vinous / IWC

A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red berries, exotic spices and candied flowers, and garrigue and mineral flourishes expand with aeration. Sweet, seamless and energetic on the palate, offering intense Chambord, cherry cola, spicecake and candied lavender flavors sharpened by a late jolt of white pepper. The mineral quality comes back strong an extremely long, supple finish shaped by velvety, even tannins.

17Jancis Robinson

...very savoury liquorice flavours on the finish, and bitter herby notes too. Heavyweight and impressive for its sheer volume, but the style demands a strong constitution!

REGION

France, Rhône Valley, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the appellation, is a large area of nearly 8,000 vineyard acres centered around the picturesque town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Located in southeastern France just north of the Avignon hills, the name of the appellation means “new castle of the pope” and it is a reference to the 14th century, when the Popes of Avignon built summer homes in the Southern Rhone Valley. Today the appellation is one of the most renowned in France and its terroir is known for layers of small pebbles, called “galets.” The stones in the soil are thought to help store heat and keep the soil warm, which helps ripen the grapes. The stones also help keep the soil from drying out in hot summer months. In 1923 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was a leader in establishing the idea that AOC wines in France should be made only with specified grapes, and the appellation allowed 13 grape varieties to be used. Since then the rules have been slightly modified to include several more allowable grapes. Red and white wines are produced, though in practice about 97% of all Châteauneuf –du-Papes are reds made with a blend of Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Counoise, Mourvedre, Muscardine, Syrah and Vaccarese. The red wines of this appellation are prized for being big, rich, spicy and full-bodied. White wines of the appellation are made with Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Picpoul and Picardin. Whites are floral, fruity and relatively full-bodied.