Everyone knows the great reds of Bordeaux or the legends of Burgundy, but the first Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in France is not found there but in the warm and windy Rhône Valley. This “honour” in fact, belongs to Châteauneuf du Pape, an appellation that is not just wine, but a real piece of history that has shaped modern oenology, with quality standards established by the winemakers themselves as far back as 1923. But let's proceed in order. The name ‘New Castle of the Pope’ takes us back to the time of the papacy's “stay” in Avignon in the 14th century. It was the popes, fleeing the turmoil in Rome, who established their summer residence here, on the heights of the town, and encouraged the cultivation of vines to produce their ‘Vin du Pape’. Today, the ruins of their fortress still dominate the landscape, a majestic and silent reminder. But the real peculiarity, the thing that makes this terroir unique, is the soil: an expanse of large quartz pebbles, known as “galets roulés”. These stones, smoothed by the ancient Rhone River, absorb the sun's heat during the day and release it slowly at night. This natural “thermal blanket” allows the grapes to reach perfect ripeness, giving the wine an unmistakable concentration and power. The DOC regulations are legendary: they allow the use of no less than 13 different grape varieties, including reds and whites. It is not compulsory to use them all, of course, but this freedom of composition allows producers to express each vintage to the fullest. Our Châteauneuf du Pape from Calvet focuses on a classic and winning blend, dominated by Grenache (70%). This grape variety, the undisputed king of the southern Rhône, brings warmth, body and those intoxicating aromas of ripe red fruit. Balancing its opulence is Syrah (20%), which adds an aromatic backbone with spicy notes and intense colour, and Mourvèdre (10%), crucial for structure, longevity and a warm, earthy note. Casa Calvet works to enhance this exceptional raw material. After the mandatory manual harvest, each variety is vinified separately for optimal control. Maceration in temperature-controlled vats lasts about 15 days, a period sufficient to extract colour and the firm but velvety tannins typical of this wine. The key step is ageing: a long rest, of at least 15 months, on fine lees in oak barrels. This not only rounds out the character of the final blend, but adds complexity and depth, preparing the wine for a truly promising future in the bottle. In the glass, it has a beautiful deep ruby red colour that heralds remarkable concentration. On the nose, sweet and enveloping notes of strawberry and orange marmalade are clearly perceptible, mingling with more exotic nuances of candied fruit and vanilla due to the ageing in wood. On the palate, it is dry and warm, with a well-integrated alcohol content that warms the body. The tannic texture is present but elegantly soft, never aggressive. This is certainly not an aperitif wine, but a great red that leaves a lingering, spicy memory.