Episode 72: Day Drinking in Châteauneuf du Pape

Episode 72: Day Drinking in Châteauneuf du Pape

[Music] Hello and welcome to another edition of Dead Drinking with Karen. When I told the tour guide that I liked Shatnov, I thought we’d be drinking wine, but instead we got a tour of the castle of the popes. Moved here from Italy in the 1300s. This is where the pope resided here in Avagon for quite a while before it was moved back to the Vatican. Here in Provence, just north of Avignon, lies the village of Shatanov Deontap. While most people know it for its worldrenowned wines, the real story begins with the fortress on the hill. The castle dominates the landscape and has witnessed more than 700 years of history. The name Shatanov literally means the new castle of the pope, a direct reference to this fortress. While the popes were here, the vineyards prospered. The wine became known as Vin Depop and spread throughout Europe. So when you sip a bottle of Shatanov pop today, you’re drinking part of the legacy of this very castle. After the Pope’s return to Rome in 1377, the castle gradually declined. During the French Wars of Religion in the 16th century, it was looted and largely abandoned. Behind me is the original chateau built in the 1400s that was a army base for the Germans. And instead of uh just taking their munitions and leaving, they decided to blow the place up uh as they were heading out. If you imagine what once stood here, four huge towers, banquet halls, papal apartments, you’ll realize how much history is silent in these stones. I am standing here in one of the famous vineyards of Shatanov Dupont. As you can see all over, we have a pudding stone called Galile. And this style of trellising is called gabule. Typically here we’re doing mvdra, we’re doing sinco, we’re doing ganache, but not sarra. Sarra needs to be trellised. This is a very unique type of uh stone. It actually warms up in the in the morning and then reflects the heat back to the vines during the evening. One of the most unique things we did on our trip was a Shatanov blending class. They gave us each of the three base grapes, told us how those grapes contribute to the overall blend, and asked to match the latest vintage. We did quite well. Finally, we got to drink some wine at Chateau Fondaloo. But most importantly, we got an education on soil types from one of their wine makers. Is famous for its red clay, usually surrounded by pebbles. You do have some limestones as well. Plenty of little variations, but but mostly clay, limestones, and sands. Uh the clay, you know, it’s a it’s a dense soil. It’s a rich soil that tends to produce well dense and rich wines. Uh on the other hand, the sandy soil it it’s a much thinner and draining type of soil that tends to produce well more mediumbodied wines with thinner tanic structure and I’d say maybe more elegance in a way. Uh and since Laafulu is only located, we tend to have a strong sicile expression. What an amazing day we had from visiting the castle to the blending class to drinking wine. If you’re visiting Shatanov Deap, don’t just stop in the tasting rooms. Take a moment to walk up to the castle. These ruins tell a story of popes and power, of war and wine- making, and of the hilltop that is seen more than most. Thank you for watching Day Drinking with Kevin. If you like this episode, please hit like down below. And if you’re not subscribed yet, please consider subscribing. Until next time, this is Kevin Magcguire saying salute. [Music]

Join sommelier Kevin McGuire as he tours the famous castle of Châteauneuf du Pape, expereinces a blending class, visist the famous vinyards, and drinks wine at Chateau Font du Loup. An amazing day in the Rhone Valley