The 2023 vintage once again bears witness to the distinctive and powerful terroirs of Châteauneuf du Pape. 2023 offers fine, long, saline wines made from top-quality grapes harvested over more than two months, from mid-August to the end of October. Very little rainfall in the winter, nice showers in May and June, then a dry, hot summer also helped to produce a vintage with generous yields -between 32 and 35 hl/ha on average.
Satisfactory rainfall, perfect sanitary conditions
Between 1 January and mid-August, overall rainfall amounted to between 195 and 250 mm, depending on the area of the appellation. Thanks to the protective Mistral wind, no disease
affected the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC territory in 2023, confirming -in a national context affected by mildew- the greatness of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape terroirs.
Balanced quality grapes
The white grapes, harvested from mid-August at ideal ripeness, produced well-balanced, round, rich and complex wines with notes of citrus (grapefruit, lemon), white-fleshed fruit
(pear, peach) and exotic fruit (litchi, mango). The acidity is well-balanced, with a long, saline finish.
Depending on the terroir, the ripeness of the black grape varieties developed differently; in fact, the duration of the 2023 harvest was exceptional. Early-ripening grape varieties with good juice extractability -most particularly the Syrah but also the Cinsault- produced ripe fruit aromas, structure and colour.
The later-ripening grape varieties -Grenache, Mourvèdre- were able to release sugar right up to the end of the vatting process, producing wines with elegant profiles, sweetness and complex textures. Characterised by aromas of red fruit (raspberry, cherry, wild strawberry), liquorice, ginger and salt, the red wines have great drinkability, smooth tannins and opulent, spicy (pepper) and mentholated finish.
A terroir adapted to changing climate conditions
Now in a decade of climatic ups and downs, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC is demonstrating its formidable ability to adapt to Mediterranean excesses and changing weather patterns.
A great 2023 vintage
This will undoubtedly be a great vintage, in which the diversity of grape varieties and terroirs in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation will have played its part to the full as the matrix of
distinctive wines, reflecting their origins, the work of the winegrowers and the meteorological signature of a given vintage.
In 2024…
In 2024, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation will be taking part in the 2nd Vineyards and Biodiversity conference (18-19 January in Avignon – www.vignoblebiodiversite.com), as well as in the centenary of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, which was chaired for many years by Baron le Roy de Boiseaumarié.
As the first AOC wine in France in 1936, the 3,150 hectares of the appellation extend over 5 communes: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bédarrides, Courthézon, Orange, and Sorgues. With 300 harvest declarants, the appellation produces an average of 90,000 hectoliters per vintage, or about 12 million bottles, distributed to 93% for red wines and 7% for white wines. Benefiting from a unique natural heritage, the AOC relies on 13 grape varieties, 5 distinct terroirs, and an exceptional climate, marked by sun and mistral, to produce exceptional wines distributed mainly for export (66% of volumes in 2021). Historically and continuously committed to sustainable development issues, 35% of the AOC’s surfaces are managed in organic or biodynamic agriculture.
BP 12-25 avenue Général de Gaulle
84231 Châteauneuf-du-Pape cedex
© CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2023
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