Chateauneuf du Pape or Any Other Crus like Gigondas
(Outstanding)
A light red wine from
Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC or Gigondas AOC
Summary
Hand harvested and heavily sorted fruit can be crushed and cold soaked for up to 3 days for color extraction or may be used as whole bunches (or a portion whole). A warm fermentation to dryness will then begin in neutral (often concrete) vessels with ambient or cultured years, using pump-overs, punch downs and rack and return to promote extraction, followed by post-fermentation maceration. Maturation in oak (large for Grenache which oxidizes easily and small for Syrah which is reductive) for one to two years is common (up to 1/3 new), before blending, any fining and filtering, if needed or desired, and bottling.