2018 | Charles Melton | Nine Popes

Nine Popes is deep red in colour with a floral bouquet. The palate is structured and spicy with sweet red fruit and floral flavours which will develop further over time. It is rich and complex in the Popes tradition.

Producer Information

Charles Melton Wines is a small Barossa Valley winery, founded in 1984. It is best known for red wines, led by the Grenache - Shiraz - Mourvedre blend, Nine Popes. Melton is regarded as one of the first winemakers in the region to recognize the potential of old vine Grenache. He arrived in the Barossa in the 1970s and was winemaker at Peter Lehmann wines before starting his own operation. The winery owns around 20 hectares (50 acres) of Barossa vineyards, and also works with select contract grapegrowers. Many plots exceed 80 years in age, and yields are often only around 2.5 tonnes per hectare. Reds are typically aged in mainly French oak with a little American. Typically there is 25 percent new wood - see below for exceptions. The flagship of the range is this Southern Rhône style blend. Dry-farmed Grenache forms the core of the wine; most of it is co-fermented with Shiraz, with a few single-variety tanks. Ferments are cool with gentle cap management including plunging by hand. A small component of Grenache is vinified using carbonic maceration. Mourvedre (Mataro) only accounts for a couple of perecent of the blend. The wine spends 24 to 27 months in barriques, most of which are French. The name comes from the Avignon Papacy. Seven Popes ruled there from 1309 to 1376, under the influence of the French crown; a further two reigned in opposition to a Pope in Rome during the schism of 1378 to 1417. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation ("New Castle of the Pope") has its roots in the first few Avignon Popes' efforts to improve the local wine.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.