This is a predominantly Tone & Backbone wine, but it shares structural nuances of Round & Fleshy as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
Full bodied with elevated yet fine tannin framing this elegant wine. The exotic flavors combine blackberry and red berries with an orange marmalade influence rarely found in Châteauneuf du Pape. There are notes of Garrigue, earth, mineral, and spice that add to the complexity, which evolves in the glass continuing in the layered finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
14.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Banneret marches to the beat of its own drummer, a unique expression of Châteauneuf du Pape.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Grenache
Gruh-NASH
Grenache is widely planted throughout the world but some of the best expressions come from the southern Rhone, and in Spain’s Priorat. Grenache has small berries with thick grape skins resulting in dark, tannic wine in its youth combined with an almost ripe sweetness and elevated alcohol. Often part of a blend, Grenache offers a lot of fruit, spice, with floral and herbal notes.
Syrah
See-RA
Syrah is widely planted throughout the world, but that was not so until the late twentieth century when Syrah was principally grown in the Rhone Valley and, as Shiraz, in Australia. Stylistically, the Palate Character of Syrah can vary depending on ripeness from a rich Round & Fleshy, Tone & Backbone, to a Powerful & Extracted. The flavors and aromas can also vary with a dark, sometimes sweet, fruit character, varying amount of spice, floral, and earth, and smoke, and meaty aromas and flavors.
Mourvèdre
Moor-VED-ruh
Mourvedre is widely grown in Spain, and in France, where it makes up at least 50% of Bandol, and is typically one of the main blended varietals in Chateauneuf du Pape. It is high quality and strives in hot temperatures. The grapes are dark, and tannic with ample alcohol and intense aromas, particularly of blackberries. It is valued for its heady, structured contribution to blends.
Château Banneret is a tiny 3.5 hectare family-owned estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape that remains surprisingly under-the-radar. The estate is now owned by Jean-Claude Vidal who learned winemaking from Jacques Reynaud and Henri Bonneau.
The vineyards, which consist of galet-covered soils, are organically farmed and the winemaking favors an old-school approach, no doubt inspired much by Bonneau, who helped make the early vintages.
The estate is now run by his daughter Audrey who carries forward that style. The wines are intense with wild aromatics and a depth of fruit, spice, and floral notes that speak to the terroir and their traditional approach.
Red Berries
Garrigue
Smoke
Organic
