La Ferme du Mont
(Stephane Vedeau) Capelan Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2013
(Southern Rhone, France) - [WE 93] [WA 91-93]

The Story:
La Ferme du Mont in the Southern Rhône boasts a mosaic of vineyards, now owned and vinified by Stéphane Vedeau. Formerly a soccer player in Paris, Stéphane has spent 15 years making award-winning wines in the Languedoc. Stéphane arrived in the Rhone Valley in 2000, creating La Ferme du Mont in the Southern Rhone where he continues to produce wines with freshness and soul using native yeasts and biodynamic methods.

Terroir:
Located on a small terrace on the northeast slope of the appellation, the soils, composed of rolled pebbles and various stones, derive their unique character from a high proportion of complex clay, where the Grenache grape expresses even more wild, undergrowth fruit and forest spices. This wine is natural and unfiltered; a sediment may form, which is a testament to our artisanal and respectful winemaking.

Grape varieties: 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre

This cuvée is characterized by a structure that is both silky and firm. The attack is generous, very focused in its mineral power, yet fresh and Burgundian; nothing suggests that the wine is around 15% ABV. A beautiful red color with intense madder highlights, the wine reveals a very well-integrated black licorice, slightly overripe red and black fruits intertwined with olives, cocoa, and truffles. Very fresh overall despite its high concentration, the whole appears with a distinctly feminine harmony. The finish is remarkably long and impressively fluid. A Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the finest, most complex parcels, rich, precise, balanced, and elegant.

Ratings & Reviews

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Intoxicating notes of leather, garrigue, raspberry and cherry perfume this opulent yet finessed wine. It's plump and juicy, full of ripe berry flavors but equally savory, offering layers of earth and mushroom as well. Rich and warming yet freshly balanced in acidity, it finishes long with ripe, persistent tannins. It's approachable already but should hold well through 2030." - Anna Lee C. Lijima (May 2018)

91-93 Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape Cotes Capelan was still in barrel at the time of my tasting, yet it showed even better this year than last, which is a great sign. Black cherries, currants, licorice, graphite and dried Provencal herbs all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, focused, pure, yet nicely concentrated Chateauneuf du Pape. It has high quality tannin, solid mid-palate depth and should drink well for a decade." - Jeb Dunnuck (Mar 2016)