Grapes varieties: 40% Grenache - 35% Mourvèdre - 25% Syrah
Wine making: Traditional hand picked into small crates and sorted by hand. Fermented in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats. Classic winemaking style with punching and delestage. Aged in tanks and oak barrels with light filtration.
Terroir: Sand and clay, clayish limestone, clayish limestone with rounded
pebbles.
Food pairing: Red meats, game, poultry, lamb, Mediterranean influenced dishes.
Cellar and drink from 2013 to 2023 / 7700 bottles produced.
The top wine (formerly called the Reserve Sixtine), the 2011 Cuvee Sixtine Chateauneuf du Pape is the best of the 2011s and an interesting blend of 40% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre and 25% Syrah that was aged 60% in barrels. Beautifully concentrated, with toast, pepper, earth and blackberry-driven aromas and flavors, it flows onto the palate with a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and rich texture that is decidedly un-2011 like. Beautifully done and a rock-solid wine in the vintage, it should have a decade of longevity. Drink 2014-2021.
~Robert Parker - 91 points
Stephen Tanzer - 91 points
