By Serge Dore Selections
L'Ange Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2013

Technical Details
Appellation: Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Blend: 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah
Soils: the Grenache is from a hillside known as Coteaux de l'Ange, with rocky iron-rich soils, and Syrah from a sandy terroir known as Palestor.
Yield: 18-22 hl/ha
Vine Age: over 80 years old
Winemaking: Hand-harvested, the grapes are then 60% destemmed, then a pre-fermentation cold maceration for 5 days precedes a 4 to 5 week cuvaison with pigeages and remontages.
Aging: The wine is then aged for 18 to 24 months, 70% in stainless steel tanks and 30% in Burgundy barrels that have already aged one wine.

The Grenache and Syrah vines are all ancient (over 80 years old) with vines digging deep into several lieux-dits of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and extracting from these different terroirs separate elements that reveal themselves in the final wine.

Grenache represents the majority of the blend and most of these vines can be found on a hillside lieu-dit named "Coteaux de l'Ange" (hence the wine's name). The soils here are rocky and iron-rich, as their red color points out. These retain water but at the same time drain fast, and contain pebbles and seashells from marine sediment. The presence of iron in the soil brings great sense of weight to the wine, with texture and structure admirably intertwined.

The main terroir where the Syrah (40%) vines originate is sandy soils, with underlying clay from Lieu-dit Palestor. These soils bring a fresh finesse to the wine, imbibing it with floral qualities and delightful hints of herbes de Provence.
[Information provided by Serge Dore Selections]

By International Wine Report
L'ANGE Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Vieilles Vignes" 2013
92 Points
Report Date: June, 2016
Producer: L'Ange
Vintage: 2013
Drinking Window: 2017-2027
Country: France
Region: Rhone Valley
Appellation: Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Importer: Serge Dore Selections
The 2013 L'Ange Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Vieilles Vignes" is sourced from 80-year old vines, most which can be found on a hillside lieu-dit named "Coteaux de l'ange" hence the name. As this begins to open it releases gorgeous aromas of black raspberries, cherries and dark plums woven together with spices, pepper, licorice, violets, dried herbs and crushed stones. On the palate this shows wonderful overall balance and structure with lovely acidity and minerality at its core. The finish lingers effortlessly with dark fruits, spices and violets. Today this is already quite accessible, but I expect this to continue to evolve beautifully over the next decade. (Best 2017-2027) - June, 2016 (JD)