Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC 2019

The Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC 2019 by Roche-Audran is a single-varietal Grenache from the southern Rhône, warm and spicy, yet built lean and purposeful. Nothing about it is heavy or overconcentrated.

Domaine Roche-Audran lies east of the Rhône, embedded in a refuge of trees, shrubs and herbs that Vincent Rochette has established around his vineyard plots. He farms biodynamically and can draw on old Grenache vines whose deep roots bring calm even in hot vintages.

The wine rests solely on Grenache, with no blending partners. At 14.5% ABV it stays dry and straightforward — solid winemaking craft without pretension.

The nose is dark in character: dark chocolate and coffee, black olives, leather and pencil shavings, followed by plum, rosehip, fig and mulberry. With patience in the glass, blackberry, sour cherry and raspberry emerge, alongside rosemary, thyme, garrigue, pine forest, mint and, finally, red fruit tea. On the palate it is compact and juicy, meaty and almost bloody at once, with substance and structure. The small-berried fruit, its acidity well integrated, runs across the palate in a fine thread, carried by balanced acidity, while the spice stays subtle on the finish. Grenache at its finest.

With grilled red mullet with a Mediterranean vegetable medley, with braised cucumbers with crispy ground meat and chive oil, or with pointed cabbage tacos with celeriac and date barbecue sauce.

Biodynamic farming, a living ecosystem surrounding the vines, and old Grenache vines: the result is a wine that unites Mediterranean warmth with cool freshness.