Chateau Mont-Redon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Le Plateau 2016, France

Details

The Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge Le Plateau by Château Mont-Redon from Rhône Valley offers a dense, crimson colour in the swivelled glass. Slightly inclined, a transition of the hue in the direction of garnet red is recognizable at the edges of this cask-matured wine. After the first swirl, this red wine reveals a high viscosity, which is evident in clear church windows at the glass edge. The first nose of the Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge Le Plateau presents blackcurrants, mulberries and blackberries. The fruity components of the bouquet are accompanied by notes of cask ageing such as vanilla, cocoa bean and black tea.


Rated 95 by Jeb Dunnuck
Even better, the 2016 Châteauneuf Du Pape Le Plateau is a blockbuster in the making and is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah sourced all from the upper Mont Redon plateau. Awesome notes of crème de cassis, graphite, toasted bread, garrigue, and beautiful minerality give way to a concentrated, full-bodied Châteauneuf Du Pape that shines on all accounts. It’s concentrated and backward, so give bottles 4-6 years. It’s going to have 20-30 years of overall longevity.

Rated 95 by Wine Spectator
Densely packed, with the ripe, vivid dark fruit that is the hallmark of the vintage, as plum, blackberry, black currant and fig notes course through, carried by a deeply embedded graphite spine. Warm ganache, singed tobacco, Turkish coffee and roasted alder elements hang in the background. Offers a long, rich finish. Really well-built. Best from 2022 through 2040.


Rated 95 by Wine Advocate
A finished blend but still in tank at the time of my visit (this new cuvée spends 18 months in oak and then 18 months in tank prior to bottling), the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape le Plateau comes from selected parcels of galets roulés on the plateau of Mont Redon. The blend is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, and the result is a top-notch effort, boasting explosive aromas of cherries, cocoa and baking spices. Full-bodied, silky, rich and long, it's buttressed by the structural elements of the oak, without being swamped by wood at all.