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B-21 Top Recommendation
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"In addition to the brilliant reds, this estate fashions some of the greatest whites in the appellation." - Jeb Dunnuck
Château de Vaudieu is a long-time favorite among Châteauneuf-du-Pape insiders for their ultra-refined style and their impeccable terroir (neighbors to the cult icon Chateau Rayas, so it's no surprise), but their wines are typically very scarce in the U.S. market. So, when we came across a parcel of their dazzling 2022s, we jumped on it without hesitation.
Vaudieu's impeccable, sandy soils endow the estate's red wines with uncompromising elegance and finesse, while simultaneously imparting serious concentration to the flavor profiles and structures. "Unquestionably up with the top wines of the vintage" according to Dunnuck, the 2022 Val de Dieu, a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre, shines in the early-harvest 2022 vintage, capturing all the vintage's bright, sunny character while remaining incredibly sleek and agile. The 96-point Amiral G and 97-Point L' Avenue are every bit the cult-caliber showstoppers that their reputations imply, the latter also "up with the crème de la crème of the vintage" per Dunnuck and the former a "structured and concentrated ... great success" in the words of Advocate's Yohan Castaing.
Of course, as Dunnuck notes above, no serious Rhône fan should overlook the Vaudieu whites, benchmarks in every way, starting with the prodigious, 97-point, "Hermitage-like" Clos de Belvedere, a cuvée of 100% Grenache Blanc that's the absolute height of the varietal expression. In the same league of varietal masterpieces, the Vieilles Roussanne is "an enticing white, with simmering, spicy power and dimension" that shows its limestone terroir in perfect clarity along side its pure Roussanne character.
This is a standout range the exemplifies one of the appellation's great benchmark estates, offering collectors a bevy of cellar-worthy stunners that can stand toe-to-toe with the very best that Châteauneuf has to offer. |
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The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Val De Dieu is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre. Exhibiting a deeper ruby/plum hue (it's one of the darker hued releases) as well as a beautiful nose of ripe blackberries, peppery garrigue, leather, and Provençal spices, it's another medium to full-bodied, broad, fruit-loaded, sexy beauty from this estate that has tons of character.
95 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Oct 2024)
A blend of 50% Grenache Noir, 30% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre and matured for 18 months, with 60% of the wine aged in demi-muids and the remaining 40% in used barrels, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Val de Dieu reveals a deep, complex and fresher bouquet of dark cherries, spices, licorice and lead pencil. Full-bodied, rich and powerful, it's less dense and structured than the other cuvées with a layered, concentrated and deep mid-palate that segues into a long, silky finish. This outstanding wine will evolve gracefully over the next 20 years.
93 points, Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate (Sep 2024)
The 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Val de Dieu comes in a distinctively refreshing early-harvest style, unwinding with fragrant rose petal, strawberry, red cherry and leafy elements. Full-bodied and sleek, the 2022 packs vivid freshness and a velvety mouthfeel. A long, juicy, uplifting closing rounds it up. So delicious!
93 points, Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous (Nov 2024)
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