Chateau Maucoil Chateauneuf-du-Pape Privilege Red 2018 ~ Southern Rhone, France

93/100 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
92/100 Falstaff
92/100 Anna Lee C. Iijima, Wine Enthusiast

95/100 The Wine Cellar Insider (2017 vintage)
94/100 Anna Lee C. Iijima - Wine Enthusiast (2017 vintage)
13.5/20 Bettane et Desseauve (2017 vintage)
96/100 The Wine Cellar Insider (2016 vintage)
96/100 Robert Parker (2016 vintage)
94/100 CellarTracker (2016 vintage)
94/100 Anna Lee C. Iijima , Wine Enthusiast (2016 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2016 vintage)
92/100 Wine Spectator (2016 vintage)
16/20 Vinum Wine Magazine (2016 vintage)
14/20 Bettane et Desseauve (2016 vintage)

Organic

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider "Ripe, dark, spicy, sweet, lush, round and fruity, with layers of deep, fleshy cherries, black raspberries and pepper. Round, plush, lively and long, this is going to age quite nicely."

Wine Enthusiast "...has concentrated flavors of blackberry preserve and dried plum"

Falstaff "Deep ruby, purple glints, faintly lighter at the rim. Fine fruit of the forest berries, blackberries, delicate liquorice, mineral touch, and soft wood notions. Juicy, elegant, lush sweetheart cherries, fine tannins, savoury and persistent."

The Wine Cellar Insider "Dark, spicy, red fruits, licorice and smoke come alive in the nose On the palate the wine is lush, sweet, juicy, deep, fresh and lively, with soft tannins and a blast of black, peppery cherries in the finish. The wine was produced using a Grenache dominate blend that includes Syrah, Mourvedre and several other assorted red and white grape varieties."(2017 vintage)

Anna Lee C. Iijima, Wine Enthusiast "Pulsating flavors of blueberry and black-cherry preserves drench the palate of this full-throttle Grenache-based powerhouse...showing a dark, fleshy fruit profile on the palate."(2017 vintage)

Bettane et Desseauvea "...sense of more accomplished harmony." (2017 vintage)

The Wine Cellar Insider "Peppery black raspberries, flowers and kirsch rise to the surface in the nose. On the palate, the wine is polished, softy textured with silky tannins and layers of sweet,, ripe, fresh, juicy, ripe dark, red fruits. The white wine grapes in the blend add the perfect, exotic, lush note. The wine was produced using a Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre blend with several other assorted grape varieties."(2016 vintage)

Robert Parker "My favorite of this estate's three red cuvées was the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Privilege, a barrel-aged blend (30% new) that includes 5% or so white grapes and a wide swathe of red varieties. The cedar and vanilla notes are pronounced but not overwhelming, serving to highlight gorgeous cherry fruit. It's full-bodied, plush and unabashedly modern but also luminous and silky, with a long, long finish."(2016 vintage)

Anna Lee C. Iijima, Wine Enthusiast "This rich, fleshy wine offers waves of luscious blackberry and plum flavors accented by hints of espresso, smoked nut and cinnamon. The opulent, open style is offset by a fresh mineral profile and dense, penetrating tannins."(2016 vintage)

James Suckling "A dense and serious rosé that shows agility and class. Lots of beautiful strawberry and citrus character. Some ash and mineral. Bright and lingering."(2016 vintage)

Vinum Wine Magazine "Angular, robust, austere, but also with content and length, good ageing potential; has character."(2016 vintage)

Grenache (50%) Syrah (15%) mourvèdre (12%), Cinsault (8%) Clairette and Bourboulenc (5%)
Alcohol: 14.5%

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 White Blend is a blanket term used to describe the various combinations of white wine grapes used in the southern half of the Rhone Valley. The principal varieties involved in a white wine from the southern Rhone are any combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Ugni Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Picpoul.