2022 Domaine Benedetti "Statera" Cinsault Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Professional Reviews

Staff Reviews

KM

Keith Mabry

Keith Mabry

K&L Buyer

Review Date: 11/2024

The 2022 Statera is all Cinsault which is highly unusual in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. But the region allows you to use single varietals for bottling. There is only one other producer that I know of makes a 100% Cinsault CDP and it is Isabelle Colombis. That wine is so hard to come by and the price point is staggering. I wish I could compare the two directly at some point... But right now I take solace that Nico Benedetti's Statera is one of the most singular reds I have tasted out of the region this year. All from old vines from a small parcel, it is aged in amphora. This is not your prototypical wine from this area. I think of it as a Châteauneuf with more lift. It has a perfume of rose hips, strawberry, raspberry compote and incense but with an X factor that draws you in and compels you to revisit your glass. This is truly special stuff that promises even greater things to come.

SB

Scott Beckerley

Scott Beckerley

This is one of my very favorite CNP's of the past several months. It stands out, for me, from its two sister wines by being the more herbal, bright, and floral of the bunch. There are dry tannins present offset by violets, roses, and deep red fruits that are relatively ripe. At once classic and unusual. It's really just plain great!

CD

Carlo Delgado

Carlo Delgado

What a delightful bottle of wine. Aromas of pomegranate, wild strawberries, hibiscus, basil leaves, rose hip tea, and a touch of lavender on the finish. Fresh, bright, and quite precise on the palate. An unique bottling of Chateauneuf du Pape, being 100% Cinsault.

Notes

Domaine Benedetti was founded in 1930 when Nicolas Benedetti emigrated from Italy to Chateauneuf-du-Pape and purchased land in his new region. Nicolas was followed by his son Noel and Noel's son, Christian. Christian was the first owner of the estate to stop selling wine to the cooperative and began bottling and selling his own wines. In 2000, the Domaine transitioned to organic farming and over the years has slowly expanded their holdings from just over a hectare each in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côte du Rhône, to four hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and ten hectares of Côtes du Rhône vineyards. In 2004, Christian's son, Nicolas, joined the domaine after studying oenology and is now overseeing all the winemaking. And finally, in 2021, we struck up a relationship with the Domaine and happily added them to our Direct Import portfolio. "Statera" is all old vine Cinsault aged in amphorae.