Château de Nalys - Châteauneuf du Pape rouge 2019

Bettane & Desseauve

About wine:

Powerful on the palate with excellent fresh fruitiness. The tannins are well integrated, the texture caressing, the finish both taut and smooth. This sunny vintage avoids the trap of excessive power.

About the estate:

Things are moving forward at the powerful Ampuis estate. In the north, Philippe Guigal no longer hides his desire to eventually go organic, and recent plantings at Le Plomb have been carried out to enable winegrowing using a winegrowing machine. But it is in the south that the most important projects are underway, with a new winery operational at Château de Nalys from the 2025 harvest and new buildings expected in 2026. Meanwhile, the first tastings—still unofficial—of La Reynarde, the future new jewel of Côte Rôtie, are continuing, demonstrating to those who doubted it the beauty of the Fongeant terroir.

Decanter

About wine:

A fresh and composed Châteauneuf style, mineral and elegant, without excess. Well balanced, the oak is only slightly noticeable in the background. However, it lengthens the wine, adding a layer of complexity. This is a measured and precise wine. Grown mainly on rounded pebble soils, with some sand and hard sandstone, in the Bois Sénéchaux, La Crau and Grand Pierre vineyards. Fermented and aged in various containers, mainly truncated cone-shaped vats and concrete vats, with 15% aged in new barrels.

Guide Hachette des vins

About wine:

A long maceration period of five weeks and luxurious aging for 24 months in barrels, 20% of which are new, have shaped the character of this highly expressive wine. The nose exudes aromas of wild berries and fresh walnuts, mingled with a touch of leather and star anise. Its complexity is fully revealed on the palate, which is full-bodied and rich, adorned with powerful tannins and fresh, licorice-like chewiness. We applaud the flawless harmony of this promising Châteauneuf, which has perfectly tamed the heat of 2019.

About the estate:

One of the oldest estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, listed as early as the 17th century, when it was owned by the Nalys family. Its venerable vineyard (52 hectares) underwent a renaissance in the 1950s. A sure bet in the appellation, acquired in 2017 by Maison Guigal. The conversion to organic farming is underway.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About wine:

Notes of vanilla, menthol, and cedar delicately mark the nose of the 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grand Vin, which was aged in approximately 20% new oak. Raspberries and black cherries are present to balance this well-structured wine, which deserves to be aged. It is full-bodied and has an alcohol content 1% higher than its Saintes Pierres counterpart, with a rich and ripe palate, great concentration and a long, velvety finish that adds notes of salty licorice. A delicious wine.

Jancis Robinson

About wine:

Juicy fruit and sweet fig spices. Fine tannic structure and a light hint of caramel on the mid-palate—toasted oak. Sweet fruit and an explosion of blue fruit pastilles on the finish. Round and elegant on the palate, but with textured tannins.

Vinous

James Suckling

Jeb Dunnuck

About wine:

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Grand Vin offers more depth, with a darker core of fruit as well as complex notes of peppery garrigue, clay soil, and incense. The balance is perfect, the wine is medium-bodied to full-bodied and its tannins are excellent, making it a brilliant Châteauneuf du Pape that has a lot to offer. It displays the sunny style of the vintage, but loses none of its elegance and finesse. Give it 3 to 4 years in the bottle and it should have an overall longevity of two decades.