Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc: 2016 & 2017 

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | OCTOBER 25, 2018 

While only 7% of total Châteauneuf-du-Pape production is white wine, all but a handful of domaines in the region produce at least one bottling, if often in tiny quantities (sometimes less than 100 cases per vintage). As local restaurants have always taken a big chunk of these wines regardless of vintage, the number of bottles that make it to the outside world will always be extremely limited. But outstanding examples – and the number of such wines is growing steadily – are more than worth the hunt, especially since the most recent vintages (2017, 2016 and 2015) are all excellent.

Château de Beaucastel has long produced some of the region’s benchmark white wines 

Changing Times, Changing Styles

Greater experience with – and general respect for – white varieties by an increasing number of producers over the last decade has ushered in a golden age for Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc. In particular, gentler pressing of the grapes, increased use of temperature-controlled tanks, and modernization of cellars throughout the region have contributed to the overall improvement in wine quality, not to mention the broader appeal of today’s wines. In fact, the general quality standard of this region’s white bottlings has risen to the same level of excellence as the best that northern Rhône AOCs, such as Condrieu and Hermitage, can offer. I’d also add that the best of these wines bear comparison to some Premier and even Grand Cru white Burgundies in terms of depth and complexity. While in the not-too-distant past I would have been reluctant to recommend aging any but a handful of producers’ white Châteauneufs for more than five to seven years, there are now literally dozens of examples that possess the stuffing, balance and energy to easily reward a decade-plus of cellaring.