93pts Jeb Dunnuck
Stone fruits, bright citrus, and a touch of pineapple all emerge from the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc, another juicy, vibrant, perfectly balanced white from this talented team. This shows the purity of the vintage yet also brings rock-solid ripeness, texture, and length.
Winemaker Notes
Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is an elegant wine of great complexity, with citrus aromas enveloped in layers of minerality and herbal nuances. On the palate, this wine is full-flavoured with a creamy texture, powerful and long.
This domain has one of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf-du-Pape with its abundance of rounded quartzite stones from the Villafranchian period. These stones absorb heat during the day then radiate it at night, promoting full grape maturity. The grapes are manually harvested, once each variety has reached phenological ripeness, based on grape tastings by an expert panel. The grape bunches are then meticulously sorted to remove any unwanted fruit.
The grapes were pressed immediately upon arrival at the winery. The juice was cold settled and then fermented in temperature controlled tanks. The wine was racked and then aged on its fine lees in small tanks with regular stirrings. A proportion of the Roussanne was matured in new oak for a short period, adding subtle complexity to the resulting wine. The wine was then bottled during the spring following the harvest.