2021 Domaine Clacieller

I am thrilled to offer this wine again as part of the Chateauneuf du Pape Club Pack!

My mom and dad spent the first two years of their marriage in France, and my dad fell in love with the wines from Chateauneuf du Pape. So have on every holiday or special occasion, that was the wine my dad served and so do I.

Finding wines from this highly sought after region was an extensive search. The two wines we have in this Club Pack are absolutely fantastic!

The little village of Chateauneuf du Pape sits on the top of a hill just outside Avignon. The “chateau” at the top of the hill was the Pope’s summer residence when the papacy was split between Rome and Avignon. The vineyards that surround the village and the hill are distinguished by the large rocks that retain the heat in this sun baked part of Provence. 

The wines can include up to sixteen different grape varieties and the art is in the selection and blending of the various varietals to make a great wine. Most wines from the region are predominantly grenache and syriah with some other grapes for blending.

The town of Chateauneuf du Pape is the size of Mayberry. It is tiny and everyone knows everyone. Two years ago I went to Chateauneuf to find an additional wine for the club. We had already discovered a great wine that we imported several years ago but I wanted another one to make a “club pack.” I began at the Tourist shop and was told they would organize a tasting for me when I returned in the summer. They didn’t.

When I returned in July of 2023 there was no tasting, but the lovely young lady told me to go to a different place that had better wines. They didn’t. The very nice, English speaking woman there told me to go to a shop slightly down the hill and I did.

The wines were good but not what I was looking for. The owner there told me he knew what I wanted. “You are looking for a true artist,” he said. He told me  to go to a small cave at the top of the hill. I made my way to the top, entered into the small establishment and tasted the wines. I was blown away! Here was everything I had dreamed of on my quest for a great wine from Chateauneuf.

I told the kind young woman serving us that I was a US importer and I was interested in her wine. She told me they had no interest in exporting to the United States, and that their wine was always sold out. I begged.  Would they just sell me 10 cases? She said “no,” and I beg some more. Finally she said “well just ten cases” and I was thrilled.