2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Amiral G

Laurent Bréchet and his daughter, Elise, welcomed me to their historic Château de Vaudieu, which boasts 70 hectares of vineyards in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC, all located close to the Château. Eleven hectares are currently planted with white varieties, making Château de Vaudieu one of the largest producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. “Along with Château Fortia and Château La Nerthe, Château de Vaudieu is one of the three oldest castles in Châteauneuf-du-Pape,” Laurent Bréchet begins. He explains, “It was built by Admiral de Gérin. The name Vaudieu originates from the nearby valley, known as the Valley of God (vallée de Dieu in French).” According to Bréchet, the Vaudieu vineyards are largely protected from frost and hail damage, as if watched over by a higher power—hence the name. The estate has evolved from producing only one red and one white wine to crafting ten different Châteauneufs. For red wine vinification, Bréchet notes that whole-cluster fermentations don’t yield satisfactory results at Vaudieu, which is why they continue to destem all grapes. The entry-level Châteauneuf-du-Pape is usually a blend of roughly 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre, aged for one year in a combination of barriques and demi-muids, all second-fill or older. Next up is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Val de Dieu, a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre. In this case, the Syrah is aged in new oak barriques, while the Grenache and Mourvèdre are aged in a combination of 600-liter demi-muids and larger foudres for 18 months. In addition to these two reds, Château de Vaudieu produces three varietal Grenaches: L'Avenue, Amiral G and V. The L'Avenue is aged for 18 months in old oak demi-muids and uses grapes from a parcel of reddish sandstone soil with traces of clay and limestone. Amiral G, by contrast, uses grapes from a different terroir of rolled pebbles and red clay, aged for 18 months in 100% new oak demi-muids. The V is a new cuvée as of the 2022 vintage, blending grapes from three sites: Puis Nord (40%), L’Avenue (40%) and Amiral G (20%), with just a touch of new oak used for the Amiral G component.

Tasting these wines from 2022 (reds) and 2023 (whites), their purity of fruit and freshness are immediately apparent. Bréchet mentions that he aims to harvest relatively early to ensure the grapes maintain enough natural acidity to preserve freshness. He also takes great care during Grenache vinification to avoid oxidation, to which the variety is particularly prone. He elaborates, “From the moment the grapes are harvested, we do everything to prevent oxidation. The grapes are picked into small 10 kg crates, and we bring them in before 10:30 a.m. to avoid any heat buildup. Since all our vineyards are close to the château, the grapes reach the winery within 15 minutes of being cut. We use dry ice to lower the temperature in the press, providing further protection against oxidation.” As for the white wines, Vaudieu offers five different Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blancs (grown on cooler sites with a higher limestone content), including one entry-level blend and four single-variety wines: Les Clairettes de Gabriel (Clairette Blanche), Le Picardan (Picardan), Les Vieilles Roussanne (Roussanne) and Clos de Belvédère (Grenache Blanc). These whites undergo a shorter maturation than the reds and are usually bottled by May to emphasize their freshness. All wines I tasted on this occasion were polished, elegant and expressive, without any rough edges. While they provide pleasure even when young, their precise balance allows for extended bottle-aging, particularly with the reds. Looking into the past, the inaugural 2010 Amiral G performed brilliantly on this occasion, and it still hasn’t reached its peak drinking window.