Cellier des Princes Estate
Created in 1925, the Cellier des Princes is the only cooperative cellar on the Chateauneuf du Pape area. They currently have 185 winegrowers.
Our wines are vinified with a great number of grape varieties – up to thirteen for the Chateauneuf du Pape. The main grapes used are the Grenache, the Syrah or the Mourvedre together with a whole set of ancient varieties.
Our wines always reflect their origin : deepness of the pebbles for strength, dryness and hot sandy soils for power and spices, chalky sandstones for structure, clayey – siliceous hillocks for richness and roundness.
Further to the phylloxera crisis which devastated the french vineyard at the beginning of the XXth century, some of winegrowers gathered in order to create their own structure of production. Their number soared very quickly and spread over a whole of villages producers of Chateauneuf du Pape appellation.
In 1960, the winery took the name of the “Cellier des Princes” in reference to the rich medieval history of Courthezon. The winegrowers of the Cellier des Princes want to defend and illustrate the values of rigour and faithfulness which were those of the Princes of Orange. Each winegrower owns a small vineyard and works for the common interest of the cooperative cellar. The Cellier des Princes, as a winemaking and marketing instrument, represents the development of each individual vineyard. Thus, maximum quality is guaranteed from the harvest to the wine tasting.
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All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collector’s cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Our DuMOL Estate Vineyard is our original high-density vine planting from 2004. It’s organically farmed without irrigation – these vines work hard each season. We make a strict selection for this bottling, one of our flagship wines, so that only three acres of its nine total comprise this bottling; the balance forms the core of Highland Divide. This is the best of the best. The high vine density and exclusively Calera Selection produce a wine with a significant level of both tannin and acidity. This structure is buffered by a deep core of fruit extract, the product of the ripe grape skins themselves, and the essence of the wine. Each vintage can age for many years, and it gradually deepens into a woodsy, truffley, and enveloping wine with grand scale complexity while never relinquishing its inherent brightness.
The wine’s aromas and flavors are akin to black cherry, boysenberry, hibiscus, anise, moss, and juniper. The palate is simultaneously bright yet dark, with mineral drive, violet floral lift, and bay laurel freshness. Tannins and acidity fuse to lengthen these flavors, and the wine finishes with dried herbs and orange zest lift. Great aging potential. Drink between 2025 and 2034 and decant for an hour in its youth to hasten the development.
Review:
Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard comes barreling out with bold notes of fresh blackberries and black cherries opening out to suggestions of anise, garrigue, and lilacs. The medium-bodied palate reveals impactful black berry flavors with wonderfully spicy accents supported by grainy tannins and great tension, finishing long with a minerally lift. This is an all Calera vineyard. (LPB)
-The Wine Independent 97 Points