Chateau Maucoil Chateauneuf Du Pape 2022 (750ml)

 

Rated 91 Points by Jeb Dunnuck

 

The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape is upfront and supple, with a beautiful core of red fruits, flowers, and sappy garrigue notes.  It's medium-bodied, has the vintage’s supple, ripe, yet elegant vibe, and solid length on the finish.  A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre that was all destemmed and brought up in a mix of used demi-muids and old barrels, it's impeccably made and should have a solid decade or more of prime drinking.  Jeb Dunnuck, Oct 2024
 

Rated 91 Points by James Suckling

A fruity, supple and straightforward red with aromas of raspberries, cherries, baked plums and sweet spices. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins. Round, juicy and fruity with a similar finish.  Drink or hold.  James Suckling, Apr 2024
 

Chateau Maucoil Chateauneuf Du Pape 2022

 

Intense ruby red color with fine aromas of blackberries, black plum, roasted coffee, and spices.  Charming and intense, the palate offers plush dark berry fruit, subtle savory spice, and grippy yet pleasant, ripe tannins and a very long finish revealing excellent balance.

 

Style:  Red Wine

 

Area of Production:  Southern Rhône Valley, France

 

Appellation:  Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC

 

Grapes:  60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault

 

Organic:  The wine is certified organic, and the estate is in the process of converting to biodynamic farming.

 

Wine Characteristics

 

Color:  Deep ruby red.

 

Aromas:  Red fruits, flowers, spices, and hints of black fruit, cassis, and garrigue.

 

Flavors:  Fruity and juicy with a balance of ripe fruit, spices, and savory notes.

 

Body:  Medium-bodied.

 

Tannins:  Creamy and balanced.

 

Finish:  Solid and elegant, with some reviewers noting it can be short and tannic. 

 

Food Pairings

 

The wine is a versatile food wine, pairing well with roasted meats, lamb, beef, pork, duck, and hearty dishes like cassoulet.  It is also recommended with certain Asian dishes and grilled meats.

 

Serving Suggestions

 

Between 16-17°C (61-63°F), decant before serving if this wine is opened young (within 5 years of the vintage).

 

Winemaking

 

Farming Practices:  Certified Organic, Biodynamic farming, hand-harvest at night with berry-by-berry sorting prior to vinification.

 

Soil:  Pebbles, Urgonian limestone, and sand dating back to the Miocene epoch.

 

Yield:  Approximately 25 hl/ha

 

Fermentation:  Grapes are sorted and placed in concrete vats, categorized by variety and by plot for a 30-day vatting period and traditional vinification. 

 

Aging:  Aged in concrete vats and demi-muids for 18 months

 

Aging Potential:  It is considered approachable now, with a potential drinking window of a solid decade or more. 

 

 

Chateau Maucoil

 

The Château Maucoil estate dates back to the Roman Empire, when the site was planted with vineyards to supply Caesar’s legions and colonists.  The château itself was established in 1624 and is located on the plateau of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, with vineyards extending into the neighboring Côtes-du-Rhône Villages district.

 

Over the centuries, Château Maucoil has been under the stewardship of several renowned winemaking families.  Today, it is owned and managed by Bernard Duseigneur, a specialist in biodynamics and owner of the Duseigneur estate.  Bernard’s family began planting vines in Algeria at the end of the 19th century, when it was a French colony.  He grew up in the Southern Rhône, where his father famously planted vines on north-facing hillsides - an unconventional choice at the time, as most growers favored flat land.  This bold decision gave the wines added freshness and balance.  Bernard’s father worked the vineyards using traditional methods, without chemicals, so when Bernard’s brother eventually took over, organic certification was easily achieved, as the practices were already in place.

 

Bernard did not join the family business until the age of 40, after a career in banking and a diving accident that profoundly shifted his perspective on life.  He immersed himself in wine - studying the market, tasting extensively, consulting with biodynamic farmers, and learning how to improve both wine quality and vineyard health.  Convinced that biodynamics was the ideal path forward, he trained with François Bouchet - who, before his passing, also mentored Nicolas Joly.  With this foundation, Bernard began converting his family’s struggling estate, ultimately reviving it.

 

In 2022, Bernard acquired Château Maucoil and began transitioning the already-certified organic estate to full biodynamic practices.  Spanning the communes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Orange, and Sorgues in the Vaucluse, the estate comprises 25 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 18 hectares of Côtes-du-Rhône Villages.  Château Maucoil boasts three distinct terroirs and is one of the few estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to cultivate all 13 permitted grape varieties.

 

The estate’s red wines are full-bodied and structured, yet consistently fresh, fruit-forward, and refined.  Its white wines from both Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages reveal exceptional aromatic complexity and supple textures.