Barbe Rac Chateauneuf-du-pape 2020 6x75cl

Nose: herbacy, spices (liquorice), chocolate, fruits (strawberry). Palate: ample, fleshy, hot and round. Outstanding density with an impressive length.

Vineyards

Quaternary terrace with a surface of shingles coming from the former bed of the Rhône. The parcel producing this single vineyard has a complex and various geological composition. Vines are 90 years old.

Vintage

2020 will undoubtedly stand out as an atypical year. The winter was mild marked, by a water shortage over the period, although reserves from 2019 helped to alleviate this. Budbreak was 10 days earlier than in previous vintages. Although snow fell after budbreak and frost was a real risk, it only affected a few vines in Beaumont Moneux. June brought plentiful heat and sunshine in the Northern Rhône and some welcome rain in the Southern Rhône. Grenache in the Southern Rhône looked beautiful and Syrah in the north perfectly balanced. Harvest was earlier than usual starting in early September and proceeded calmly and without any weather pressures. Marked by exceptional earliness and scorching mid-summer heat, the 2020 vintage offers us wines full of elegance and pedigree. They have all the markers of great ageing potential thanks to preserved acidity and remarkable phenolic maturity. The elegance of the red wines and the expression of minerality supported by a beautiful acidity on the whites are the hallmarks of this particular vintage that is full of surprises.

Winemaking

Grenache, being sensitive to oxidation, vinifications are made in concrete tanks. Fermenting lasts about 3 weeks (which allows a polymerization of tannins) with a temperature which varies between 30 and 33°C. Only the free-run wine is used in this single vineyard. Maturing in vats for around 16 months.

Enjoy with:

• Grilled and Roasted Red Meats
• Pizza/Pasta
• Casseroles/Stews

Beef stew and ratatouille Provençale