Domaine le Prieure des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2021

The rare, and oh-so-delectable Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc! Domaine le Prieuré des Papes second ever vintage of this old-vine CdP Blanc and yep...even better this time around! 92 POINTS! A rich, oily, perfumed, and fruity beauty of a Rhône white wine – all at the world’s best price!

Domaine le Prieuré des Papes is the new incarnation of an old First Bottle favorite, Domaine La Millière, now led by one of the top wine professionals in the world, Antoine Petrus. Since taking over for Domaine La Millière in the 2019 vintage, the new team has modernized the production facility, but happily left those beloved old vine plots alone!

While we’ll sadly miss the spectacular, old-vine-loving Arnaud family – we have to admit...we’re pretty excited for what’s next. The same historic estate, and most importantly, those extra special, seriously ancient vines (up to 130 years old!) are now Domaine le Prieure des Papes’s playground for crafting this new wave of organic, bio-dynamic, and surreally delicious Rhône wines!

This CdP Blanc is bright and incredibly mineral-driven, with aromas of mandarin blossoms, peaches, and honeydew melons. There’s a salted, raw walnut characteristic in here, with an oily, honeysuckle and lemon verbena character that coats the palate. A bright, penetrating acidity cuts through the wine's weight, delivering another layer of flavors that showcases green apples, mangoes, and cherimoya – all held tautly together with a flinty, struck-match minerality. Decant this young to release all that inherent complexity – but feel free to lay this down for several years too!

PAIRING IDEAS: I’m taking a bottle of this out to the coast – oysters, fried calamari and clams, fish and chips – these are all going to make for an incredible pairing! Maybe I should bring a second bottle...fried seafood does make you thirsty!