By Les Vins de Vienne
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Oteliees

In the local dialect, Oteliees means "summer heat." Our winegrowing partner shares our values and works according to our requirements: reasoned agriculture, limited yields, and optimal maturity. After the alcoholic fermentation, we taste the wines together and select the best batches. Then we quickly transfer the wines to our cellar, after checking all of the maturing parameters.

Vineyard
Grape Varieties: 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre
Density: 3,000 to 3,500 rootstock/hectare
Yield: 30 hectoliters/hectare
Pruning: Gobelet bas
Soils: Alluvions d'argiles rouges
Exposition: Terraces on hillsides facing south-east

Winemaking
Harvest: Partially de-stemmed
Winemaking: Traditional for 3 to 4 weeks with cap punching and pumping over
Maturing: Aged in French oak casks.

The History
Pope John the 22nd arrived in Avignon in 1318 and chose Chateauneuf-du-Pape as his summer residence. His six successors encouraged the use of table wine for mass, leading to the development of vineyards around the village. Through the centuries, the production of the location's wine became increasingly serious. Thanks to this long winemaking tradition, Chateauneuf-du-Pape was one of the first appellations officially recognized as an AOP. It largely contributed to the system's current set of rules and regulations. The terroir production surface area is over 3,100 hectares. The vineyard extends across the district of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and throughout four neighboring districts boasting similar terroirs - Bedarrides, Courthezon, Orange, and Sorgues. The climate is one of the driest in the Rhone Valley, and it receives the highest amount of sunshine. The perfect ripening of the grape harvest is brought about by the heat retained by pebbles during the daytime and later released at night. Soils: Very stony, they are made up of smooth quartz pebbles mixed with sandy red clay.
[Information provided by Olivier Nouet]
[Information is not vintage specific]

LES VINS DE VIENNE Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Oteliees 2016
Score: 92
Country: France
Region: Southern Rhone
Issue: Web Only - 2019
This is a juicy and fresh version, with up-front bitter cherry, plum and raspberry fruit flavors liberally laced with alder and tobacco notes. There's a bolt of iron on the finish. Best from 2021 through 2032. -JM

Les Vins de Vienne 2016 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Oteliees
Points: 91
Chateauneuf Du Pape, Southern Rhone
Red wine from France
Drinking window: 2022 - 2028
Brilliant ruby. Powerful aromas of ripe red fruits, spicecake, and smoky minerals pick up floral and garrigue qualities as the wine opens up. Juicy and broad on the palate, offering sappy black raspberry, cherry liqueur, and spicecake flavors and a touch of licorice. Velvety tannins add shape to a long, juicy finish that leaves a sweet floral pastille note behind. There's a richness to this wine that reminds me a lot of 2015. -Josh Reynolds. Tasting date: April 2018