Maison Laurent Tardieu - Châteauneuf du Pape

You do not judge the quality of a good Châteauneuf on its concentration, but on the quality of its tannins : here is a Cuvée which illustrates this claim ! Silky, smooth, comforting touch in the mouth. Huge intensity!

Presentation

The vintage
Vintage 2021 was incontestably a thumb to the nose of the last “solar” vintages which we have seen recently in the Rhone Valley. Real 30 year flashback, typically reminiscent of more classical harvest dates in the Vindémiare calendar and phenolic maturity from the 90s..
Indeed, this vintage has given us, on all levels, a lot of emotions. Blame it on the particularly capricious weather conditions, sweet understatement!
Extreme frost episode from 7th to 9th April, with some temperatures nearing -10C, affected without exception almost all the French vineyards. Cataclysmic observations: the vine for more than 3 weeks was brain dead! Some vinegrowers thought they had l ost their ancestral heritage. Miraculously, nature took back control. But this was not without consequences. The vine stocks were deeply tilted, even unbalanced. The 2nd shoots were anarchic, the labour work extremely complicated.
Fortunately, the beneficial rains throughout the vegetative cycle, the moderate temperature in the summer and a beautiful late autumn enabled us to approach harvest season with serenity.
Like every year, nature decides for us. This is what makes this job beautiful and delicate. But undeniably, 2021 will remain forever the vintage of a great “vigneron” (vinegrower).
Terroir
Plateau de Mont Redon, les Bédines, la Crau, Cabrières, Pignan.
Ageing
10 months in one and two vintages barrels - Allier et Tronçais. Then 10 months in foudre.
Winemaking
50% non destemmed.
Varietals
Grenache : 75%
Mourvèdre : 10%
Syrah : 10%
Cinsault : 5%
Specifications
Alcohol content : 14,5% % vol.
Bottling : Without fining and filtration.
Age of vines : Grenache: from 60 to 80 years, Syrah: 40 years. years old

Advice

Serving
14,5°C
Decant 2 hours before tasting.
Tasting
You do not judge the quality of a good Châteauneuf on its concentration, but on the quality of its tannins : here is a Cuvée which illustrates this claim ! Silky, smooth, comforting touch in the mouth. Huge intensity!