Chapelle St. Theodoric CdP La Guigasse 2019 (750ML)

95-97 JD / 94-96 WA / 95 DE

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Guigasse is my favorite of the trio, at least at this early stage. Full-bodied aromas and flavors of darker berries, violets, peppery herbs, and chocolate all emerge from this beauty, which is perfectly balanced and has a great mid-palate, silky tannins, and a great finish. This is 100% Grenache that was not destemmed and is brought up all in older demi-muids.—Jeb Dunnuck

Scents of roses, licorice and black cherries mark the nose of the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Guigasse, an all-Grenache cuvée from a sandy site near Rayas. Fermented as whole clusters and aging in demi-muids, it's full-bodied and richly concentrated yet still silky and fine, although I did detect a touch of warmth on the peppery-spicy finish. - JC, Wine Advocate

There's a cooling herbal streak running through the wine, menthol and pine needles, which give a sense of freshness. The fruit itself is lively, upright and saline. A medium-bodied style that’s full of impact that will work well with food. Not hugely long perhaps but very good. 4,800 bottles made. Owned by Domaine de Cristia, this is pure Grenache grown on sand at the lieu-dit La Guigasse, aged for 24 months in demi-muid. Matt Walls, Decanter

100% Grenache. Certified organic. Aged for 24 months in demi-muid. Cask sample.

Tasted blind. Clean nose that has a waxy fresh strawberry character and a peppery spice. Ripe and packed full of sweet fruit, a leathery note on the mid palate and firm sandy tannins. The acidity is good and tempers the sweet bright fruit. - Alistair Cooper MW, JancisRobinson .com

The wines from Chapelle St. Theodoric are pure and expressive displaying the complexities and subtleties from Grenache. There are two parcels; one in the lieu-dit La Guigasse, which is a pure sand soil and where the vines (all Grenache) range in age of from 50 to 100 year; and the other parcel at the top of Pignan, literally adjoining the vines of Château Rayas, also in pure sand and also pure, old vines Grenache.

The vinification is traditional, that is to say, whole-cluster, such as employed by Jacques Reynaud at Château Rayas, Laurent Charvin, Henri Bonneau. The two parcels are vinified and aged and bottled separately, but with the exact same treatment, the experiment being to find what terroir differences one might find in pure sand, between vines less than 200 meters apart, both on sand, pure Grenache and traditional vinification. The result has been a most exciting and successful experiment: The difference between the wines from these two parcels is clear and distinct. La Guigasse is the slightly richer of the two. The Grand Pin, perhaps because the sand is nearly pure white, perhaps the higher elevation or due to some other factor we have not yet determined, makes a wine that is lower in alcohol, more perfumed and finer. Les Sablons is wine from the two other cuvées and wines from the young vines from both lieux-dits. Aged in older barriques.