Chateau de Vaudieu 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape

The Château Vaudieu, located in the heart of the Châteauneuf du Pape Appellation, was built in 1767 by Admiral Gérin, a lieutenant in the Marseille admiralty. It is one of the three genuine castles of the XVIIIth century in Châteauneuf du Pape. For over 250 years, the "Val de Dieu" (Valley of God), an area suitable for cultivation from which the name "Vaudieu" was to come, has sheltered a vineyard within its landscape of hillsides and terraces that enjoy the best possible exposure.

In the mid 19th century, during the phylloxera crisis, this estate was one of the four great Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards, able to produce a quality wine. It was under the leadership of Garbriel and Juliette Meffre that the vineyards reached their current size of 173 acres. Upon the death of Gabriel Meffre in 1987, his daughter Sylvette Bréchet took the destiny of this magnificent property in hand. In 1990 she was joined by her son Laurent, and then by Julien in 2006. With their involvement, the winery was modernized in order to separately handle the grapes from the 32 vineyard plots that were re-demarcated in order to achieve the best potential from each terroir. 2016 was an amazing vintage in the Rhone Valley and this 2016 is outstanding. A blend of 80 % Grenache and 20% Syrah.

The Wine Advocate scored this 93 points saying "Even Vaudieu's "regular" CdP is excellent. The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape, an 80-20 blend of Grenache and Syrah mostly aged in concrete, offers ripe red raspberry and apricot notes alongside delicate hints of spice and garrigue. Full-bodied and lush, it shows off wonderfully ripe Grenache fruit without much in the way of other adornment or artifice, finishing long and silky."

and the Wine Spectator scored this 94 saying "Gorgeous, with a lush core of raspberry, blueberry and boysenberry puree flavors gliding through, flecked with anise, violet and incense notes. Carried by fresh, well-embedded acidity, this is lush and beguiling through the lengthy finish. Best from 2020 through 2035."