Chapelle St. Theodoric CdP La Guigasse 2020 (750ML)

96-98 WA / 93-95 JD / 94 VM

On this visit, I slightly preferred the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Guigasse to the Le Grand Pin. Also 100% whole-cluster Grenache, it's much the same, but maybe a bit less floral and a bit more concentrated. Roses, herbal tea, blackberries and black cherries appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is supple and almost airy in feel yet with intense, lingering flavors. Just terrific stuff. - Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Guigasse is cut from the same cloth, with a big, spicy bouquet of ripe black cherries, Asian spice, Provençal garrigue, and sappy flowers. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has a great mid-palate, and a seamless texture. It's a big mouthful of classic Southern Rhône goodness that can be drunk today or cellared for 10-15 years. As with the Grand Pin, this is all non-destemmed Grenache that comes from the La Guigasse lieu-dit (also sandy soils) and is brought up all in used demi-muids. Readers who love complex, elegant, more finesse-driven examples of Châteauneuf du Pape should jump on these Chapelle Saint Théodoric releases. Made by Baptiste Grangeon, the wines come all from sandy soils, see lots of whole clusters in the ferments, and are aged in older demi-muids.—Jeb Dunnuck

Aged for two years in demi-muids, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Guigasse comes in at 15% alcohol. An expressive single varietal Grenache, it bursts from the glass with fragrant aromas of rose petal, raspberry, forest strawberry, dried herbs, mint and a dash of white pepper. Full-bodied, concentrated and framed by plush tannins, it is impeccably well balanced by lively acids before a strikingly complex finish. - Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous Media