Chateauneuf Du Pape Rouge, Domaine Santa Duc, 'habemus Papam', Rhone Valley, France

Tasting Note

Deep black fruit notes - big on blackberry, cherry and plum with hints of black pepper and liquorice, silky tannins, and a complex finish.

Grapes

70% Grenache

30% Syrah

How to Drink

Pairs naturally with roasted or grilled red meats, especially lamb, game dishes, or wild mushroom stews.

Producer Information

Yves Gras is one of the strongest personalities in the Southern Rhône; generous to a fault, he has helped many younger producers to improve their techniques and establish themselves on the market.

Since 2006, Yves has slightly softened his style by shortening the time of cuvaison and using different cooling methods to reduce the austerity that previously characterized his wines; they still have plenty of local character and a huge personality, but are also a little more approachable in their youth. Yves’ son Benjamin has taken charge of the most recent vintages. The results from the 23ha under vine are truly exceptional and have received widespread recognition in the press.

Production Information

The plots are to be found at Le Pradel and La Font du Pape, respectively to the east and centre of Châteauneuf-du-Pape; with 2.9 hectares of soils rich in sandy clay on the surface with very calcareous subsoils and some round pebbles.   

Ecocert-certified organic and Demeter-certified biodynamic vines with an average age of 60 years.

The Provencal translation of La Font du Pape suggests a place where water is to be found, ideal for Syrah, or rather Serines, to express their fresh crispness. Through the emblematic grapes of our region, Grenache and Syrah, this union of terroirs finds it vocation in the coherent and elegant wines that it creates.

The grapes are hand-picked into crates and sorted manually in the vineyard before a second, table sorting in the cellar.  A proportion is destemmed, the quantity being determined by the nature of the vintage and the parcel, and the grapes are fed by gravity into the vats to ensure the integrity of the berries.  Fermentation takes place in thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats for 20 to 30 days, with two long pumping over sessions daily. Punching down is decided after tasting. Pressed pneumatically. Malolactic fermentation in vat. The wines are clarified by settling over winter in the cellar. Ageing begins in the spring with 18 months in 36-hectolitre oak Stockinger foudres, and 8-hectolitre terracotta amphorae. Unfined and unfiltered at bottling.