Domaine Santa Duc Châteauneuf-du-Pape Habemus Papam 2022

Domaine Santa Duc is a respected southern Rhone estate, and Habemus Papam is its take on Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the historic appellation whose name recalls the medieval papal court at Avignon. The wine is built on Garnacha with Syrah, farmed biodynamically and organically. Chateauneuf is known for its galets, the large rounded stones that blanket many vineyards, storing the day's heat and radiating it back at night to push the Grenache to full ripeness, while pockets of sandy and clay limestone soils add freshness and lift. The Mistral wind dries the vines and keeps disease at bay, allowing low intervention farming. Ageing runs for eighteen months split between amphora and barrel, the clay vessels keeping the fruit pure and giving a gentle, neutral oxygen exchange while the wood adds structure and a savoury frame. The wine is warm and generous, with ripe red berries and plum, the garrigue herbs and cracked pepper typical of the region, and a smoky, earthy, liquorice tinged finish. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees, decanting young bottles. It suits roasts and game.