Well, no, but you already knew that. But the absence of spires doesn’t mean that this isn’t a good wine. The grapes (Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre) come from the quite large Coteaux du Languedoc appellation and while the bottle's back-label association of this wine with the “terroir of Châteauneuf du Pape” is a bit of a stretch, it’s not too much to say that the “Chateau” has managed a nice impersonation of a pretty good southern Côtes du Rhône.
This is a rustic wine in a good, brambly way. Dried cherry and tobacco on the palate with good, grippy tannins on the finish – hard to complain at the price.
Score
Drinkability: 8.5/10Price: 4.5/5
Total value: 13/15
