Domaine de la Solitude

This is one of those amazing stories of winemaking turnarounds. It’s not easy for winegrowers to change. There are just too many variables — the vines, the cellar, the vagaries of the growing season. But, when brothers Jean and Michel Lancon hired renowned enologist Didier Richard, they had an idea. Domaine de la Solitude had been more of a follower than a trailblazer in Chateauneuf, making wines that were excellent and highly structured in the ’50s and ’60s, before coming full circle in the ’70s and ’80s, putting out simpler, fruity wines. But with the page turning on the century, the Lancons wanted to shake things up, making one special wine that they would love. It would be rich, plump, a bit more feminine, the kind of wine you could drink on release or age for a decade or two. That’s what Jean told Richard, and that’s how, in 1999, “Barberini” was born.

Made largely from 100-year-old, pre-phyloxerra Grenache vines planted in the alluvial patches of Solitude, the Lancons and Richard have fashioned one of the most luscious, forward, explosively juicy Chateauneufs of the last decade. But they did something else. The deep roots of these old Grenache plants spider through the calcareous substrata, injecting the grapes with mineral verve. So while the 2006 “Barberini” is luscious, it’s also incredibly long and fresh. In the excellent, warm 2006 vintage, the top cuvees from Solitude are among the very top wines of the appellation — and this “Barberini” is the feminine treasure of Solitude.

How did they effectuate the turnaround? Jointly, the enologist and winegrowers studied the soil at Solitude, which enjoys a precious elevated position to the east of town. With neighbors like Chateau La Nerthe and Nalys, the soil beneath the galets roules (some of which were the size of an over-inflated Wilson football) was clay-calcareous. But it turned out that some spots toward the bottom of the property were richer in clay, typically offering wines that were softer and more feminine. Would these wines be simpler? No, Richard argued. The thick-trunked 100-year-old Grenache plants offered dazzling fruit when harvested to very low yields (just 1.5 tons per acre in 2006). Tasting the grapes from these vines in early September, Jean Lancon told us they were not only astonishingly sweet, but had a great, pristine acid balance.

If your preference in Chateauneuf tends towards the rustic, this one may not be for you. But if you like sexy Chateauneuf, showing off all the explosive richness and subtle power of 100-year-old Grenache vines, the 2006 “Barberini” is a wine you won’t want to miss.

Tasting Notes

“The dense ruby/purple-colored 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Barberini offers up sweet aromas of charcoal, boysenberries, blackberries, cherries, smoke, and earth. Rich, full-bodied, layered, and powerful for a 2006, with a 40+ second finish, this is one of the finest Chateauneuf du Papes of the vintage. Moreover, it should age for at least two decades.”
94 points–Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

“Bright red. Fresh, focused aromas of raspberry, potpourri, Asian spices and smoky minerals. Deeper blackberry and kirsch on the palate, with slow-mounting tannins adding spine. Very young but rich and highly promising, with excellent finishing energy and a whiplash of zesty spices and minerals. A superb balance of power and vivacity.”
93 points–Josh Raynolds, The International Wine Cellar

The Palazzo Barberini

If you travel to Rome, you might happen to visit the Palazzo Barberini, currently home to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica. Inside is a legendary fresco by Baroque painter Pietro da Cortona, along with paintings by luminaries like Raphael and Carvaggio. Once a family of minor nobility in Tuscany, the Barberinis’ stock took off once they headed to Rome in the fifteenth century. Their rise culminated in Maffeo Barberini becoming Pope Urban VIII and the construction of the Palazzo, with its grandeur still evident. Meanwhile, a branch of the family settled in Avignon, and later Helene Barberin married into the Martin family, prominent vineyard owners in Chateauneuf. Their descendants run Domaine de la Solitude to this day.