2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes

Sisters Veronique and Caroline Maret continue to steer the wines of Domaine de la Charbonnière into an era of greater freshness while staying true to the expressive and concentrated house style. Discussing 2022, Veronique Maret highlighted the rain and hail episode in mid-August: “A lot of our Mourvèdre grapes were hit hard by the hail, and initially, we feared that we would have to harvest quickly and early, which would have resulted in under-ripeness. We took a risk and waited another month before harvesting, which paid off.” Maret also explained that the hail-related yield reduction further accentuated the concentration in the remaining berries, which were already fairly small due to the warm and dry conditions throughout the growing season. Another hail-derived risk was premature oxidation, to which Grenache is particularly prone. All these elements demanded meticulous work in the cellar, and judging by what’s in the glass, the Maret sisters mastered these challenges. In specific years, like 2020 or 2022, they produce three red cuvées in addition to the traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Mourre des Perdrix is a single-vineyard cuvée from sandy soils with round pebbles and red clay additions. Vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks and large oak foudres, with maturation in a combination of foudres, demi-muids and barriques. This cuvée highlights a more approachable, elegant style compared to the punchier other two cuvées. Next up is the Cuvée Spéciale Les Hautes Brusquières, another single-vineyard wine from the Brusquières lieu-dit with classic round pebble soils above clay and sand. Vinified similarly to the Mourre des Perdrix, the Cuvée Spéciale Les Hautes Brusquières is more structured and long-lived. Then there’s the Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, which contains the highest proportion of Grenache among all three cuvées, complemented by a jolt of Mourvèdre. The Grenache grapes come from vines that are more than a century old in the La Crau and Coudoulet lieux-dits, while Mourvèdre hails from the Cristia lieu-dit. Often the most concentrated of the three cuvées, the Vieilles Vignes ages solely in demi-muids. While 2022 is a success at Domaine de la Charbonnière, the wines come across as a notch less complete than in 2020, which, to be fair, might be the finest vintage here in recent memory. That said, I wouldn’t underestimate the potential that further élevage can bring to these wines. Readers should also seek out the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, which fared well in both 2022 and 2023. Seventy-five percent of the entire production is exported, with the US being the most important market.