Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
Appellation
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Farming
Sustainable, Organic
Varietals
50% Grenache Blanc, 50% Clairette
Vineyards & Viticulture
Rayas is a secluded estate northeast of the village, not far from Courthézon. It is unusual because their 12 hectares of vines are north-facing and contain none of the fabled round pebbles (galets roulés). The vineyard is surrounded on all sides by forest and therefore is a cool terroir. Harvest here goes very late and these wines never lack for power or richness. The Grenache Blanc vines were planted in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1995, and the Clairette in 1986.
Soils
Gravel, red galet stone and sandy
Harvest & Vinification
During vinification, each varietal of every vineyard is fermented separately in oak casks, with assemblage taking place in enamel-lined tanks before bottling. Fermentation begins naturally with no inoculation of yeasts in 80-100 year old foudres. The wine is then aged in vat for 11 months. "These foudres were around when my grandfather was alive, and he bought them secondhand," says Emmanuel.
