Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020

Château Mont-Redon will be familiar to those who know and love Châteauneuf-du-Pape being well recognized as the owners of one of the most highly regarded vineyard sites in the appellation. The superb quality of its vineyards has been recognized throughout history and prior to the adaptation of the appellation controlee system it was one of the few ‘Grand Crus’ in the region (together with Chateau Rayas). 

With almost 100 hectares of Chateauneuf-du-Pape under vine, the majority of Mont-Redon’s vineyards are located in the appellation’s most favoured area, the high plateau which is covered in the large round pudding stones that Châteauneuf is so well known for. This remarkable property is in fact a single vineyard which is very unusual in Châteauneuf-du-Pape where holdings are usually quite scattered. Château Mont-Redon red Châteauneuf-du-Papes opens up and come into their own five to eight years after the harvest, but they can age over ten years depending on the vintage and the storage condition.

A vintage of harmony. Harmony is the word of the vintage, with aromatics good on the leaders. The best wines hold very attractive fruit, with tannins well on the inside. Where tannins are noticeable – and dry – that is more due to the grower extracting too hard than the harvest serving very thick skins. Summer 2020 can be considered solar, but the wines often don’t reflect that, with a notch of balance that will be apparent among the most charming. Degrees are a little lower than 2019, perhaps 0.5° here and there. In wines of insufficient natural depth, the alcohol can stand out, therefore.

60% Grenache Noir, 30% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre & 2% Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin & Vaccarèse. Hand harvested and 100 % destemmed before fermentation over 15 to 20 days, with extraction via plunging the cap as required. Following the malolactic, a rigorous selection is performed and batches that do not meet the Estate’s quality criteria are sold in bulk. The selected batches are matured for 12 months in approximately 50 % barrels and 50 % stainless steel tanks. At this point another selection is made and any lesser batches are again sold in bulk. The final blend is then assembled in tank and matured for a further 6 months before bottling, then a further 4 to 6 months in bottle before it is available for shipping.

The deeply fragrant nose pulls you inexorably into this majestic Chateauneuf. So vibrant and refined for this amount of power and concentration. Breathtaking Mediterranean herbal freshness at the super-long finish. - James Suckling, 96 Points

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre & 2% Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin & Vaccarèse. 
Country - France
Region - Rhone Valley
Vintage - 2020
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 15%