Description
Domaine des 3 Cellier, Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Marceau”
Attention, Southern Rhône lovers: if you, like us, yearn for the soulful, structured, long-aged Châteauneuf-du-Pape of yesteryear, Domaine des 3 Cellier’s “Marceau” is the next necessity for your cellar. These days, it seems every vintage is warmer than the last, and so many Châteauneufs tend toward the soft and pleasurable yet short-lived. But this hallowed terroir’s reputation was built on cellar centerpieces like today’s 2018 “Marceau.”
Upon our tasting, its marriage of deeply brooding aromatics and rigorous structure provided a vinous flashback to the deadly serious and traditional CDPs we cut our teeth on, those bottles we’d stash away alongside any Classified Bordeaux or single-cru Barolo. “Marceau’s” cellar-worthy styling is thanks to the fact that meaty, chiseled Mourvèdre—not Grenache—is in the driver’s seat. Such a swap isn’t unheard of in these parts; indeed, one of the most iconic bottlings of the region, Beaucastel’s “Hommage Jacques Perrin,” pulls off the same trick. Despite being made in similarly tiny quantities, the family’s Certified Organic farming, and the future promise contained within, “Marceau” costs about one-tenth as much as that cult collectible. Enjoy!
Technically, Domaine de 3 Cellier has only been around since 2007, but it actually represents almost 400 years of farming history in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In 1650, the Boiron family settled in the region, then a land of mixed agriculture. They grew grapes alongside other fruits and grains, but as the centuries progressed and Châteauneuf’s winemaking fame grew, vineyards came to be their primary focus. Marceau Cellier married into the family in the 1980s and ran the winemaking operation, then called Domaine Saint Benoit. Upon his retirement in 2007, the family split Domaine Saint Benoit between Marceau’s three sons and another family member. Rather than continue with the old domaine name, Marceau’s three sons anointed their new project with the somewhat cheeky “Domaine des 3 Cellier” name.
The Cellier brothers now farm a little over 13 hectares, spread across the appellation. They were Certified Organic in 2016 and continue to pursue sustainability where most producers don’t even think to; they’ve gone so far as to ensure their labels are printed on eco-friendly paper. “Marceau,” named for their father, comes from a range of lieux-dits spread around Châteauneuf, the common theme among them being the vines’ age, about 50 years, and the signature quartz-based galets roulés soils. Mourvèdre makes up 50% of the final blend in 2018, with 30% Grenache, 10% Counoise, and Vaccarèse rounding it out. The fruit is entirely de-stemmed and fermented in cement vats before aging in large French barrels. Polish and a precise structure define “Marceau,” in a place where so many wines these days are downright blowsy.
If you’re enjoying 3 Cellier’s “Marceau” today—and for all of my talk of aging it, there’s plenty to enjoy right now—I suggest giving it a 30-minute decant. After that, expect a rush of dark purple and black fruits like crushed fresh blackberry, boysenberry, black cherry pit, and red plum skin, followed by sandalwood, white pepper, smoke, dried lavender, violet pastille, meat char, and classic Herbes de Provence. The palate is full-bodied, fleshy, almost brooding, before a wave of mouth-coating but perfectly rounded tannins come through to keep things fresh and driven. Notes of smoked meat, hot rocks, and herbs continue in the finish. It’s a fantastic marriage of fruit and savor, ripeness and structure, sun and earth. In short, a beauty-and-the-beast Châteauneuf that we’ll be enjoying for a long time to come!
