Château de Vaudieu - Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe Les Clairette de Gabriel 2022

Not made in 2021, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape les Clairettes de Gabriel is quite different in style from the other whites at this address. More restrained, it offers up enticing hints of toast and wood spice surrounding pear and white peach notes. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky in feel from barrel-fermentation and time on lees, with a long, citrus-spice finish. It's a strong effort, with perhaps a bit more cellaring potential than the Grenache or Roussanne-based cuvées.

I covered the 2020 reds and 2021 whites from Vaudieu in Part 1 of this report, but as I also visited Laurent Brechet on my June 2023 trip, I've included reviews of more recent releases here. The estate is a true château, set well back from the main road, with vineyards surrounding it. Brechet seems to be constantly retooling his vineyards in some way; this year he was excited by how the young Cinsault was coming along. He's added Picardan to the mix and top-grafted some vines to Bourboulenc. At a bit more than 10 hectares of white grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, he claims to be the third-largest producer of white in the region. "Demand for white wines is growing," said Brechet, who went on to say that he was considering a project elsewhere in Provence, possibly a partnership with an existing grower. Among the array of red wines, Brechet suggested that he'll be offering a new cuvée from the 2022 vintage, a wine he is calling V. As presented to me during my visit, it will be a blend of three demi-muids, one each from l'Avenue and Amiral G, and one from a parcel of vines located in between those two. Driven by Brechet's quest for ever-higher quality, this estate is becoming a leader in the region.