Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020
$109.99
SPECIAL BUY 6 or more. Outstanding vintage from leading Chateauneuf producer ..
Description
Château Mont-Redon will be familiar to those who know and love Châteauneuf-du-Pape being well recognized as the owners of some of the most highly regarded vineyard sites in the appellation. The superb quality of its 100 hectares of vineyards has been recognized throughout history and date back to the 14th Century. Prior to the change of the appellation controlee system it was one of the few “Grand cru’s” in the region (together with Chateau Rayas), and producing some of the most elegant of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
The majority of Mont-Redon’s vineyards are located in the appellations most favoured area, the high plateau which is covered in the large round pudding stones that Châteauneuf is so well known for. This remarkable property is in fact a single vineyard.
There has been considerable investment at Mont-Redon over the past twenty years. The entire winery has been completely renewed and is now climate controlled. Rows of oak barriques have replaced the old large foudres of yesteryear, and large temperature controlled stainless steel vats now line the walls, resulting in wines of freshness and finesse in both red and white wines. More recently optical sorting machines at harvest time have resulted in wines of great precision. Mont-Redon is clearly a candidate for not only the most improved producer and the best value producer of the Southern Rhone but now also one the very best producers in the large historic appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The reputation of Châteauneuf was built on its being “the most elegant and complex wine of the southern Rhône, not the most massive” and that’s the style that Mont-Redon pursues.
2020 has just arrived and it is on song
“A VINTAGE OF HARMONY. Harmony is the word of the vintage, with aromatics good on the leaders. The best wines hold very attractive fruit, with tannins well on the inside. Where tannins are noticeable – and dry – that is more due to the grower extracting too hard than the harvest serving very thick skins. Summer 2020 can be considered solar, but the wines often don’t reflect that, with a notch of balance that will be apparent among the most charming. Degrees are a little lower than 2019, perhaps 0.5° here and there. In wines of insufficient natural depth, the alcohol can stand out, therefore.
2020 IN THE CONTEXT OF RECENT VINTAGES FROM 2016 ON. “The best wines are charming, much more approachable than the powered and brooding 2019s, a vintage to drink ahead of 2019. At present, I am finding that the 2018s are opening up already, with some mineral notes, some cooler year signatures; it slots in as a useful all-rounder of a vintage, not too complicated, with a feel apart from the high heat years, a looser tone. The 2017s are starting to shift a little away from their rather dry initial tannic profile, but I would be in no hurry to tackle them just yet. 2016 remains very much a vintage to hold back on, given its great depth and length; with 2010, it is the top year of the century.” John Livingstone-Learmonth, drinkrhone.com
60 % Grenache Noir, 30 % Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre & 2% Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin & Vaccarèse. Hand harvested and 100% destemmed before fermentation over 15 to 20 days, with extraction via plunging the cap as required. Following the malolactic, a rigorous selection is performed and batches that do not meet the Estate’s quality criteria are sold in bulk. The selected batches are matured for 12 months in approximately 50 % barrels and 50 % stainless steel tanks. At this point another selection is made and any lesser batches are again sold in bulk. The final blend is then assembled in tank and matured for a further 6 months before bottling, then a further 4 to 6 months in bottle before it is available for shipping.
96 points, James Suckling, April 2023. “The deeply fragrant nose pulls you inexorably into this majestic Chateauneuf. So vibrant and refined for this amount of power and concentration. Breathtaking Mediterranean herbal freshness at the super-long finish.’
94 points, Jeb Dunnuck, November 2022. “The classic 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is straight-up terrific and excels in the vintage. It will be interesting to compare this to the Le Plateau over the coming 20 years or so. Giving up lots of red and blue fruits, violets, flowers, and hints of graphite, it’s medium to full-bodied, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautifully integrated tannins, and remarkable purity as well as length. It’s a brilliant Châteauneuf du Pape from this talented team that readers will love to have in their cellars. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 15-20 years.”
“.. the bouquet has a smoky, young oak hover, stylish blackcurrant, black cherry fruit below, hints of black olives. The fruit is good and pure. The palate comes forward well on a wave of elegant, tasty black berry fruits, the tannins polished and part of the adventure. It’s a forward going Châteauneuf, sleek and aromatic, carries a little local ID. The finish is clear, a menthol burst there. From 2024-25, decant. 2047-49.” John Livingstone-Learmonth. drinkrhone.com, October 2021.
RRP $138 Our Special Price $109.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
Additional information
Producer | Mont Redon |
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Region or Country | Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France, Southern Rhone |
Variety | Grenache and Blends |
Vintage | 2020 |
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