Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red GSM 2020 (France)

Mont-Redon Château will be familiar to those who know and love Châteauneuf-du-Pape, being well recognised as the owners of some of the most highly regarded vineyard sites in the appellation.

The superb quality of its vineyards has been recognised throughout history and prior to the adaptation of the appellation controlee system it was one of the few “Grand cru’s” in the region (together with Chateau Rayas).

With almost 100 hectares under vine, the majority of Mont-Redon’s vineyards are located in the appellations most favoured area, the high plateau which is covered in the large round pudding stones that Châteauneuf is so well known for. This remarkable property is in fact a single vineyard.

There has been considerable investment at Mont-Redon over the past twelve years. The entire winery has been completely renewed and is now climate controlled.

Rows of oak barriques have replaced the old large foudres of yester-year, and large temperature controlled stainless steel vats now line the walls, resulting in wines of freshness and finesse in both red and white wines.

More recently optical sorting machines at harvest time have resulted in wines of great precision. Mont-Redon is a candidate for the most improved producer and the best value producer of the Southern Rhone.

The appellation area is located on the left bank of the Rhône, between Orange and Avignon. Three types of terroir come into the production of this wine: the terroir of the plateau of Mont-Redon composed of large rolled pebbles. Then the Urgonian calcareous terroir present in the form of angular white rocks. Finally, the sandy soil of the “Mont- Redon”. Only the very best of these three terroirs comes into this wine’s blend ensuring the complexity and consistency of Mont-Redon’s style.

The climate is Mediterranean with hot dry Summers punctuated with a few showers. The Mistral wind blows fairly consistently year-round, ensuring very favourable sanitary conditions for wine growing.

Grapes are harvested at perfect maturity following validation through tasting of the berries. Harvest is always manual, allowing for precise sorting of the clusters in the vineyard. This selection is supplemented through the use of optical sorting tables. Cameras perform berry by berry selection, excluding any unwanted parts for a work of great precision.

Following complete de-stemming, extraction is done by punching-down for fifteen to twenty days of skin contact for optimal extraction of tannins and colour. Once the malolactic fermentations are completed in vats, a second selection is performed. Batches which do not meet our criteria are sold in bulk. The best tanks are kept for maturing done approximately 50% in barrels and 50 % in vats. After one year of ageing, only the batches which allow for the best possible blend (those with the most depth and harmony) are selected. To extract the quintessence of our vines, the proportion of bulk can vary greatly depending on the vintage. Bottling is done about 18 months following harvest. Bottled wine then rests for at least 4 to 6 months in our cellars before shipping starts.