This domaine is situated on the edge of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is unique in that, in 1936, the owner (of what was then a hunting retreat) refused to allow the experts who were drawing up the boundaries of the appellation to visit his domaine. Thus it was not included in the delimited area and remains to this day an enclave within the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, only qualifying for the appellation Côtes-du-Rhône Villages.
Location
Southern Rhône
France
Key facts
Size: 53 ha
Clos du Caillou
The Côtes-du-Rhône Bouquet des Garrigues forms the bulk of the production, coming from vines grown on 30ha of pebbly soil within the Clos – Les Garrigues is the name used to describe the stony terroir. The wine produced here is a superb, rich red wine, with sweet red fruit and liquorice and silky texture. It is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape in all but name, and is fantastic value for money.
The quality just gets better and better as you move up the range, with the Les Quartz and Reserve wines only being made in the best years, from the best fruit and from the oldest vines on the pebbly soil. The style of the domaine is for elegant full-bodied wines with rich red fruit flavours, velvety texture and fine tannins, and they are always in high demand.