Cave du Verger des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
We are travelling in the Rhône valley region of southern
France, crossing and re-crossing the Rhône River from Provence to Languedoc-Roussillon. With the afternoon free, we were on a mission
to do some degustation at several of
our favourite Domains. But because today
was a bank holiday, they were all ferme. Frustrated, we drove on to the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape
in hopes of finding a wine shop open. I
had been here about five years ago, but my vague memories did not prepare me
for such a delightful village. With so
many of the crowds of tourists gone due to the holiday, we had little trouble
finding parking a spot and wandered the cobblestone streets. After peering into shop windows, ‘caves de vin,’ and checking restaurant
menus, I suggested we climb up the hill to the ruin of the papal castle,
thinking of the nice restaurant I saw there years ago.
We came upon a wine dealer, the “Cave du Verger des Papes”
and decided to look in. What a
treat! This happens to be the only
Roman-era wine cave in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2000 years old, with the original
wine vats carved out of the stone used by the Romans (crushing the grapes by foot), and examples of the
terracotta amphorae for transport. Even
though we may think of the Avignon Papacy as the originators of viticulture here,
in fact the Romans brought the wine industry to this part of the Rhône
Valley. Of course the Roman Popes
enlarged the industry, especially Pope John XXII, for whom the papal castle on
the hill above Châteauneuf-du-Pape was built between 1317 and 1333.
The proprietor gave us a few samples of nice whites and
several reds, with the AOC (Appellation d’origine Contrôlée) label Châteauneuf-du-Pape
in the distinctive bottles with the papal tiara and crossed keys. She told us the reds were blends of thirteen
varieties of grapes, and that only three producers made their reds using all
thirteen. She explained how the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vintages
were of higher alcohol content, and were better after aging. Traditionally the
wines of this region have relatively high alcohol content but are not allowed
to go higher than 15.5% and if they are drunk too young, the taste will be a bit high
in tannic. She said they could be opened
and drunk as young wines, but suggested that the wines aged at least five years
would be more pleasing. A well-balanced
wine, given at least five years to age will be much more enjoyable and display the
true skill of the winemaker.
Roman wine vats carved out of the rock
Until the wine critic Robert Parker highlighted the Châteuneuf-du-Pape
and gave a rating of ‘100 out of 100,’ these wines were relatively unknown. Of
course, the increased fame increased the price! Our guide explained that their cave
made an effort to carry the lesser-known Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers in their
inventory, recognizing that the larger Domains had the means of advertising,
marketing, and exporting. One of the
wines we tasted was from their smallest producer consisting of four workers, the
father, mother and two sons. I asked how
long that producer had been in business and she told me ten generations, and they
were the youngest. With my astonishment,
she added the oldest producers in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region had been
making wine since the 13th century, before the popes moved from Rome
to Avignon.
We made our selections, and I bought some charming wine
glasses, which we asked to have stored and pick up later so we could continue
the climb to the papal castle, really just a bit farther up the hill. The view was marvelous, with the huge Rhône
about two miles in the distance, winding through the valley. The breezes whistled through the empty
window-openings in the thick castle walls -- only the south wall is intact to
give the visitor a true perspective of this massive building. The combination of the popes’ return to Rome in
1376 and the French Wars of Religion in the mid 1500’s contributed to the decay
and destruction, with the site becoming a ‘quarry’ as the stones were re-used
for other buildings. But in seeing the
ruins, one can only imagine the magnificence of this castle in its prime.
Next time you are in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and would like a
unique wine-tasting experience, visit
Cave du Verger
des Papes
4 Montée du Château
843230 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
www.vergerdespapes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment