2017 Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee du Baron 750 ml

It may sound like hyperbole, but without Château Fortia, there’d be no Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Fortia was the region’s first true benchmark a century ago, and their 2017 Cuvée du Baron—with its rich red fruit, complex aromas of pepper and farmyard, and long brooding finish—proves that they’re still setting the bar for stellar Châteauneuf value. 

That’s because Fortia is delivering the kind of rich, seductive, concentrated red that made Châteauneuf the gold standard in the Rhône, at a price that’s far below that of top Châteauneuf: $45.

The 2017 Cuvée du Baron is as seductive as it is concentrated—a reflection of the high-quality but low-yielding vintage—and the critics were just as impressed as we were: 92-94 points made it Wine Advocate’s highest-rated Fortia wine since 1978. Josh Raynolds of Vinous raved about its “solid, spicy thrust, harmonious tannins and an emphatic echo of ripe red fruit,” and gave it 93-94 points. That’s Vinous’s best Cuvée du Baron rating ever, and it equals that of Fortia’s exclusive $68 2017 Réserve. 

If you miss the days when you could count on Châteauneuf-du-Pape to deliver huge value for under $50, then this is your long-awaited throwback. 

To say that Fortia made Châteauneuf what it is might actually be an understatement, as their legacy is much more far-reaching than that. Baron Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié took over his father-in-law’s estate shortly after the Great War, and imposed strict quality controls. Soon Baron Le Roy’s Château Fortia wines set the standard for Châteauneuf. And when an inventory shortage caused by phylloxera and war spawned rampant wine fraud, a group of legitimate local producers showed up at the baron’s doorstep. They asked for his help in dealing with the problem.

The voluntary regulations that Le Roy developed for the group (including lowering yields, eliminating unsuitable grape varieties, and observing a minimum alcohol level) soon became de rigueur in Châteauneuf, and formed the template for the AOC law that defines what makes a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The model was adopted throughout France for wine and other agricultural products—butter, brie, lentils, and more—and eventually spawned similar systems the world over.

Today, Le Roy’s descendants continue in his (rather large) footsteps, working the family’s 30 contiguous hectares of south-facing vineyards with an approach that integrates diversity in flora and fauna (two-thirds of the property is a hunting reserve) to promote sustainability. No herbicides or pesticides are used, and the harvest is done by hand. 

Decanter summed up the 2017 vintage as “small but perfectly formed.” The extremely dry summer limited yields across the board, even after the Grenache harvest had been trimmed by an uneven fruit set in the spring. But at the end of the season, the fruit that was harvested was fantastic. 

Château Fortia uses more Syrah (35%) than many of its peers, so the wine has a meaty, smoky profile deepening the pure, fruity Grenache that provides the backbone of the blend (50%, and brooding Mourvèdre makes up the rest). 12-18 months in large neutral foudres tamed the tannins a bit, wrapping up a textbook wine for the village. 

Rich in fruit and redolent of spring flowers laced with anise, garrigue, and figs, this is a deeply colored, dense, and spicy wine that speaks to the estate’s century of crafting exemplary Châteauneuf. Don’t miss it.