Gabriel Meffre Saint Théodoric Châteauneuf du Pape DOC 2018 (France)

Description

• French oak
• Red & black berries
• Spring flowers
• Fresh & focussed

"Châteauneuf Du Pape Saint Theodoric has a slightly cooler-climate feel in its crunchy red and black berry fruits, peppery garrigue, spring flowers, and cedary incense-like aromas and flavors. These all carry to a medium-bodied 2018 with a good spine of acidity, a fresh, focused texture, and a great finish. Enjoy this classic, complex, elegant 2018 that I would be happy to drink" Jen Dunnuck, Oct 2020

A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre from the different major terroirs of Châteauneuf du Pape: crumbly, sandy soil from the eastern and southern slopes, limestone from the western side facing the Rhône river, red clay from the northern zone and "galets" (large, round quartzites stones) from the upper plateaux sector.

2018 was atypical in many ways. This vintage required a constant presence from the vineyards to the cellar. After a mild Winter, the wet and rainy Spring gave way to a beautiful Summer, favoring a perfect growth of the grapes. September then ushered in an Indian Summer that proved to be more than ideal for harvests with cool nights and warm & sunny days. The grapes were harvested for a total of 8 weeks at optimal maturity and under ideal climatic conditons. The result is an elegant vintage with a particularly aromatic profile and a superbe balance.

The grapes are hand-picked and partially destemmed before fermentation. Each grape variety is fermented individually and fermentation/maceration lasts for approximately 4 weeks in cement vats. After about 12 months of maturing, the different varieties, which were aged partly in oak and partly in vat, are combined to form the final blend before bottling.

Food Pairing: Steak with red wine sauce or Ratatouille