Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge AOC 2019

Wine description for Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge AOC 2019 by Marcoux

Colour & appearance

Deep, still youthful dark red with a ruby rim – dense, opaque and promising.

Nose

Tremendous density and depth: black figs, wild blackberries, sweet raspberries and blood oranges, alongside violets, Provençal herbs, fresh leather and pepper. With air, the wine gains in complexity, conveying an impression of great purity and multi-layered nuance.

Palate

Immediately mouth-filling with a velvety texture and impressive concentration – yet without any heaviness. Sweet, opulent fruit of red berries, ripe, refined and fine-grained tannins with a hint of cocoa. Fine-grained structure and minerality with great dynamism and persistence. A wine of both power and elegance.

Finish

Long, profound and vibrant – the fruit lingers, accompanied by delicate spice and mineral tension.

Terroir & origin

The Armenier family cultivates 18 hectares across 13 plots with highly diverse soils: the famous Galets roulés (rounded pebbles) on clay-rich subsoil, reddish sandstone, colluvial sediments and Cretaceous limestone soils, which lend the wine its tension. Farmed biodynamically since 1990 – one of the first estates in the appellation. Sophie Armenier and her son Vincent Estevenin now run the estate in the seventh generation; the family has been documented as winegrowers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape since 1344.

Grape varieties & vinification

Grenache Noir dominates, complemented by Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Hand-harvested at optimal ripeness, triple sorting, destemming and gentle crushing. Fermentation with natural yeasts in concrete tanks, maceration lasting four to five weeks, maturation over 18 months in historic concrete tanks, supplemented by foudres and older 350-litre casks.

Food pairings

Tian de légumes à la provençale (braised vegetables), wild boar terrine with black truffles, Gardiane de Taureau (bull stew with Camargue rice) – dishes of depth and Provençal spice that can stand up to the wine’s power.

Special features

A Châteauneuf-du-Pape that unites power with grace: opulent yet never heavy, concentrated yet never aggressive. The biodynamic farming since 1990 and the old Grenache vines across diverse terroirs give it a rare balance of ripeness and freshness. A wine with great ageing potential – and yet already beguilingly accessible.