Chateauneuf-du-Pape Habemus Papam

Stylish and silky, relying on higher-toned red currant, cherry and raspberry fruit aromas and flavors, with red tea, savory and subtle mineral details throughout. Features a late echo of worn leather, which adds nice contrast on the finish. The plots are to be found at Le Pradel and La Font du Pape, respectively to the east and centre of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Soils rich in sandy clay on the surface with very calcareous subsoils and some round pebbles. The grapes are hand-picked into crates and sorted manually in the vineyard before a second, table sorting in the cellar. A proportion is destemmed, the quantity being determined by the nature of the vintage and the parcel, and the grapes are fed by gravity into the vats to ensure the integrity of the berries. Fermentation takes place in thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats for 20 to 30 days, with two long pumping over sessions daily. Punching down is decided after tasting. Pressed pneumatically. Malolactic fermentation in vat. The wines are clarified by settling over winter in the cellar. Ageing begins in the spring. 18 months in 36-hectolitre oak Stockinger foudres, and 8-hectolitre terracotta amphorae. Unfined and unfiltered at bottling. ABV 14.5%