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The Domaine Condorcet Chateauneuf du Pape 2021 was found at Aldi for $9.99, it originally sold for $24.99 which was Aldi’s most expensive wine. A Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine is a Red blend from the southern Rhone Valley in France.
It translates to the Pope’s new Chateau or in the 1300s, Castle. The Pope did not always live at the Vatican in Rome, in the early 1300s they relocated to France. One of the first things they did was to commission vineyards. The Pope needed lots of wine. There are still vineyards and the Chateauneuf-du Pape area is the region’s elite growing area.
The Domaine Condorcet Chateauneuf du Pape 2021 website has not been updated since the 2019 vintage. The Red Blends are mostly Grenache, with Syrah, and Mourvedre. The 2019 vintage added Cinsault to the blend.
The wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape typically start at $40 and go up. The $24.99 price of this wine originally had was seen as a tremendous bargain, the current $9.99 price is silly cheap.
It seems this Red blend was fermented in lined concrete vats and aged for one year in oak barrels typical of the region (600-liter barrels).
Domaine Condorcet is a respected winery with roots going back to the 1800s and their Red blend will sell in the $60 to $90 range. Is this their regular bottling or a wine made expressly for Aldi? The label is different and possibly the wine inside is declassified. But then again maybe it is simply another Aldi bargain. The alcohol content is 14%. On a side note, the bottle from here are always embossed with the coat of arms for the region, it is a nice touch.
The Domaine Condorcet Chateauneuf du Pape 2021 Tasting Note
The color is still see-thru garnet red. The nose is ripe red berries, soft spice, a little licorice, blackberry, a hint of vanilla, a little minerality, and cigar smoke. The Domaine Condorcet Chateauneuf du Pape 2021 is an intense, detailed Red blend.
This Chateauneuf-du-Pape tastes like blackberry, extracted licorice, raspberry, spice, black pepper, and juicy plum. The mid-palate brings orange zest, dusty tannins, tart cranberry, sharp spice, toasted vanilla, and blueberry. This wine has no shortage of flavor or structure, it is an excellent effort.
The Summary
- The Domaine Condorcet Chateauneuf du Pape 2021 was well priced at $24.99, at $9.99 it is a if you can find it, buy it wine.
- Chateauneuf-du-Pape does not often fall into the CheapWineFinder price range, but I am glad this wine did. It was a fun wine to try.
