Barbe Rac
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically reaches its peak between 10 to 25 years from the vintage, showcasing remarkable longevity.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rack of lamb, wild boar ragout, slow-braised beef cheeks
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from one of the most historic parcels in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, M. Chapoutier's 'Barbe Rac' is a masterclass in single-vineyard expression. The name itself traces back to local history, but the true legend lies in the vineyard's ancient Grenache vines, planted in 1901. Situated on a dry, wind-swept plateau of rolled pebbles (galets roulés) and red clay, these centenarian vines yield minuscule quantities of intensely concentrated fruit. To preserve the absolute purity of this exceptional terroir, Chapoutier employs a traditional, low-intervention approach: the wine is fermented and aged exclusively in concrete vats, entirely avoiding oak. This allows the natural power, rich black fruit, and distinctive garrigue-scented minerality of the old-vine Grenache to shine through with unmatched clarity and elegance.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1808 in Tain-l'Hermitage, Maison M. Chapoutier was transformed into a global benchmark for terroir-driven viticulture after Michel Chapoutier took charge in 1990. Operating on the motto 'Fac & Spera' (Do and Hope), the estate became an early, outspoken pioneer of biodynamic farming in 1991 across its extensive estate vineyards. Rooted along the granite terraces, fluvioglacial alluvial soils, and limestone outcrops of the northern and southern Rhône Valley, Chapoutier crafts transparent, single-vineyard bottlings (sélections parcellaires) alongside international ventures in regions like Portugal's Douro Valley. Winemaking favors indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, and minimal intervention to preserve purity of origin, often eschewing new wood in favor of neutral oak casks or concrete vats. Benchmark cuvées—famed for their tactile Braille labeling introduced in 1994—include Hermitage icons such as Le Méal Blanc, De l'Orée, Les Greffieux, and Côte-Rôtie's La Mordorée, epitomizing tension, minerality, and structural longevity.
🍇 Grapes
100% Grenache
🍷 ABV
15-16%