The Riches and Richness of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | DECEMBER 19, 2019

Châteauneuf-du-Pape fans will find plenty to like from 2017, a vintage marked by consistently warm to hot weather that yielded distinctly rich, fleshy, fruit-driven wines. The growing season presented its share of challenges, and yet the best wines are compelling. Even so, readers need to be selective, as the style of the year is quite particular, and some wines are overdone.

Large, oval wooden foudres have long been the vessel of choice for raising Grenache in Châteauneuf-du-Pape

2017 Brings The Power

As was the case across western Europe, the 2017 growing season started early, on the heels of an abnormally warm winter. That’s hard on growers, especially those who work with Grenache, which flowers on the early side and thus is highly vulnerable to spring frosts. Flowering was erratic across the appellation, which set the stage for a smaller-than-normal crop. Shifting weather patterns into April, from warm to cold, tested growers’ nerves. Still, the fruit that made it through looked plenty good. But then, in early May, heavy rains and cold weather attacked the vineyards, causing a mass outbreak of coulure (grape clusters not forming, also known as “shatter”) and crop losses of around 50% across the region. Warm, extremely dry weather arrived in late May and there was no rainfall to speak of until November, which put stress on the vines but also meant that the fruit – what there was of it – was clean, healthy, ripe and of very high quality.