Chateau Fortia - Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Cuvee du Baron 2016

Description

Château Fortia is not a winery that chases good press on a whim. These are consistent, classic wines that faithfully represent the region’s terroir year after year. The Cuvée du Baron, which combines 45% Syrah with 40% Grenache, and 15% Mourvedre, was created in the memory of the Domaine’s founder, Baron Le Roy de Boiseaumarie. The wine was first released in 2001. The wine went through a long, cool fermentation in small lots by varietal, then aged 18 months in old oak foudres prior to bottling. Deep garnet-purple in color, this is a wine with a dense, complex nose and notes of plum and cassis and garrigue on a medium-bodied palate.

History

Chateau Fortia is one of the older estates in Chateauneuf du Pape. In fact, Chateau Fortia can date itself all the way back to its humble beginnings as a Southern Rhone Valley farm in 1763. The beautiful estate continued to expand over the years. The first label displaying the Chateau Fortia name was produced in 1930. Today Chateau Fortia is owned and managed by the Le Roy family who have been in charge of the property since the early part of the 20th century. Even though most of their vines are in one large parcel, the soils are varied. They have a terroir of sand, clay, limestone and large rocks in their soil. The vineyard is planted to mostly Grenache with Syrah and a bit of Mourvedre.
Chateau Fortia is best when decanted for about 1-2 hours when young. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Their wines age very well and are usually very expressive with 4-6 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages the wine should be consumed within 5-18 years after the vintage

France Rhone Valley Chateauneuf Du Pape