Chapelle St. Theodoric CdP Les Sablons 2019 (750ML)

93-95 JD / 17.5+ JR 

Looking at the 2019s, all of which are still aging in barrel, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Sablons can be thought of as the entry level Grenache. Destemmed and aged in older barrels, this round, mouth-filling, medium to full-bodied Grenache offers lots of red and black fruits as well as some meaty, spicy nuances. It will have plenty of up-front appeal.—Jeb Dunnuck

100% Grenache. Certified organic. Cask sample.
Tasted blind. Inviting nose that shows crunch and freshness and a waxy red-cherry fruit nose. Nicely defined tannins and a strawberry-dominated palate. Powerful yet elegant and shows real refinement and finesse. - 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.