A very proper, full-bodied, organic white from the southern Rhône.
Production
Château Maucoil’s vineyards are primarily located in the sandy-soiled northwest of Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, but its white grape varieties are planted in Urgonian limestone soils close to the river in the southwest of the region. Vineyards have been managed organically (certified in 2014) and yields are kept to around 25 hl/ha. Harvesting is by hand and grapes are sorted before vinification. After a cold skin maceration and pressing, alcoholic fermentation is maintained at 18°C and malolactic fermentation is prevented in order to preserve the wine’s freshness and acidity. The wine is unfined and aged in vats to bring out the varietal aromas and body, synonymous with white wines from the southern Rhône.
Château Maucoil Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition Blanc 2022 (6 bottles case)
Vivino ratings
Tasting notes
Intense and vinous on the nose, leading into a bright, mineral-inflected yet rich palate that is subtly floral and beautifully textured with a full, long finish.
Food match
Pair with rich cuisine, shelfish, grilled salmon, veal cutlets with chanterelle mushrooms.
Info
-
ABV
13.5%
-
CASE/BOTTLE SIZE
6 x 75cl
-
REGION/COUNTRY
RHÔNE, FRANCE
-
GRAPE
GRENACHE BLANC 90%, CLAIRETTE 2%, BOURBOULENC 8%
-
FEATURES
VEGETARIAN, VEGAN, ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE
-
CLOSURE
CORK
-
WINEMAKER
BENOIT LAVAU
-
APPELLATION
CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
-
ALLERGEN INFO
CONTAINS SULPHITES AND NO OTHER ALLERGENS
-
Meet the producer
Château Maucoil (pronounced “moh-kwahl”) in Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a longer history than most estates we represent. It served as a base for Roman legions who were attracted by the spring that runs through the property and by the proximity of the Via Agrippa; it was the home of Joseph de la Pise, archivist to the Dutch royal family; and from the 17th century onwards it was owned by a succession of winegrowing families. The Arnaud family, who already owned vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, decided to purchase the estate in 1995 and devoted a great deal of energy and passion to Château Maucoil.
The estate's old vines (the youngest are merely 40 years old; the oldest date back to 1895!) grow on the appellation’s four soil types: pebbles, clay-sandstone, Urgonian limestone and, more unusually, sand. Unlike vineyards littered with the famous pebbles of the area, the fine, sandy soil doesn’t retain and transfer heat during the night, resulting in slower ripening and giving wines with more finesse.
Bénédicte, the Arnauds’ youngest daughter, and her husband, Charles Bonnet, took up the torch in 2009, with a strong desire to secure the future of the estate and to manage it in an environmentally responsible manner. They began the process of converting to organic viticulture in 2011, becoming fully certified in 2014. Along the way, in 2013, they partnered with Frédéric and Benoît Lavau and the four now run the estate together.
Maucoil is one of the few Châteauneuf-du-Pape estates that has conserved all thirteen of this famous appellation's original grape varieties, and grapes must pass through three rigourous stages of manual sorting before being deemed of high enough quality to be made into wine.