Chateau Maucoil Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition Red 2020 - Rhone, France

94/100 Wine Enthusiast
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards
15/20 Jancis Robinson
94/100 Wine Enthusiast (2019 vintage)
93/100 Decanter (2019 vintage)
92/100 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (2019 vintage)
Bronze - Robert Parker (2019 vintage)
16/20 Jancis Robinson (2019 vintage)
91/100 Wine Enthusiast (2018 vintage)
91/100 CellarTracker (2018 vintage)
90/100 Robert Parker (2018 vintage)
Bronze - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (2018 vintage)
15.5/20 Jancis Robinson (2018 vintage)
13.5/20 Bettane et Desseauve (2018 vintage)

Gold - Rioja List in London
Gold - New World List in London
Gold - Chilean List in London

Wine Enthusiast "An outstanding Châteauneuf-du-Pape showing powerful and intense redcurrant and cherry fruit flavours, beautifully structured with smooth tannins, creamy oak and a long, elegant finish."

Wine Enthusiast "Sourced from Maucoil's youngest vines (still an impressive 40 years old) this sun-kissed, fruit-forward red highlights the strawberry and red-cherry buoyancy of Grenache with sharper cassis and blackberry flavors and the brambly herbaceousness of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsualt. It's a penetrating, richly concentrated red but zesty and vibrant too, finishing on fine, tautly composed tannins." (2019 vintage)

Decanter "Open nose showing dusty red fruits aromas with hints of slow cooked meat and hints of oak. Fleshy and quite opulent, round with ripe fruit and firm tannins." (2019 vintage)

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider "Meaty and peppery, the fruits show a dark tint on the nose and palate. The wine has a solid depth of flavor, richness and tannins that will take a few years to resolve. I like the power and energy here as well as the length and sauvage quality in the finish. " (2019 vintage)

Robert Parker "Cinsault, aged in a mix of demi-muids and older barriques. It kicks off with nicely herbal-floral notes of roses and garrigue, then adds raspberries and cherries on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied and silky, finishing a bit tannic but mouthwatering and fresh." (2019 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "This organically grown blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault offers ripe but restrained flavors of dried plum and blueberries edged by shavings of peppery spice, baked clay and graphite. Plump in texture and framed by fine-grained, silky tannins, it's enjoyable immediately but should hold well through 2028." (2018 vintage)

Robert Parker "...is earthy and smoky, with notes reminiscent of roasted meat and mocha, set against a backdrop of raspberries that only emerge with a bit of airing. It's medium to full-bodied and creamy in texture, with silky tannins that make only a faint impression on the finish. (2018 vintage)

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider "Olives, thyme, garrigue and spice come along with the with sweet and sour cherries. Medium-bodied with a distinctive olive edge to the fruits on the palate, the wine finishes with a sharp, peppery edge with a tinge of chocolate in the finale." (2018 vintage)

Bettane et Desseauve "Well built between fruit and breeding. Quite light on the palate, the wine finds a nice volume in the middle of the mouth without great length on the finish." (2018 vintage)

Chateau Maucoil Tradition is produced from 60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault and a variety of other assorted grape varieties. The wine is aged in a combination of foudres and used oak barrels for 12 months. It shows bright berry fruit, subtle savoury spice, ripe tannins and vibrant acidity.

The history of Château Maucoil began several centuries ago. Ancient documents state that its first occupants were Romans who set up a base for Caesar’s legions. Later, Joseph de La Pise, Lord of Maucoil and archivist of the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family, inherited the estate and the castle which was built in 1624. From then on, winegrowing became an intrinsic part of the history of Château Maucoil.

The 45 hectares of vines in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation have been organic agriculture since 2011. Château Maucoil uses ancient methods such as furrowing, forming mounds and ploughing to tend the vineyard.

Originally from Bordeaux, the Lavau family who now own Château Maucoil, have been involved with winemaking for generations, and have had vineyards ranging from Bordeaux to Tunisia. In 1964 they were seduced by the richness and quality of the Provencal soil and settled down to make wine in the Rhone Valley.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a historic village between the towns of Orange and Avignon, in France's southern Rhône Valley. It is famous for powerful, full-bodied red wines made predominantly from the classic southern Rhône grape trio: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. These three varieties are behind the vast majority of the appellation's red wines, although a total of eighteen are approved for use – a mix of red and white grape varieties.

Southern Rhone Red Blend refers to a wide range of grape varieties often blended together to make wines in the southern reaches of the Rhone Valley in the south of France. While the blend could theoretically consist of any of a wide range of grape varieties, it is usually made up of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, in varying proportions, typically with Grenache and Syrah as the dominant partners.