Chapelle St. Theodoric Chateauneuf-du-Pape Le Grand Pin 2021

Critical Acclaim: 95 pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate; 94 pts Jeb Dunnuck. 

About the Winery: About the Winery: Chapelle St. Theodoric is a project between winemaker Baptiste Grangeon and Peter Weygandt. There are two parcels; one in the lieu-dit La Guigasse, which is a pure sand soil and where the vines (all Grenache) range in age of from 50 to 100 year; and the other parcel at the top of Pignan, literally adjoining the vines of Château Rayas, also in pure sand and also pure, old vines Grenache. The vinification is traditional, that is to say, whole-cluster, such as employed by Jacques Reynaud at Château Rayas, Laurent Charvin, Henri Bonneau. The two parcels are vinified and aged and bottled separately, but with the exact same treatment, the experiment being to find what terroir differences one might find in pure sand, between vines less than 200 meters apart, both on sand, pure Grenache and traditional vinification. The result has been a most exciting and successful experiment. The difference between the wines from these two parcels is clear and distinct. La Guigasse is the slightly richer of the two. The Grand Pin, perhaps because the sand is nearly pure white, perhaps the higher elevation or due to some other factor we have not yet determined, makes a wine that is lower in alcohol, more perfumed and finer.T his is one of the purest expression possible of grenache, very much reminiscent of Rayas, without the price tag.

Tasting Notes: "From 35-year-old Grenache in Pignan, vinified as whole clusters and then aged 24 months in older demi-muids, this is a floral, ethereal expression of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, marked by scents of roses, lavender, strawberry compote and hints of pine resin. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky-textured, sappy, slightly green-tinged, refreshing and long on the finish."- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

"The 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Le Grand Pin offers a slightly fresher style compared to the La Guigasse, which always tends to be a slightly more powerful wine. Black raspberries, wild strawberries, resinous herbs, chalky minerality, and floral notes all give way to a medium-bodied, tight, more inward yet elegant and seamless effort that's going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age. As with the 2020, this is all Grenache from Pignan that was not destemmed and is aging in used demi-muids."- Jeb Dunnuck. 

Varietal: Grenache.