Chateau de Beaucastel, located in Courthezon in the Southern Rhone Valley, has over 250 acres of organic vineyards. Unlike many Rhone Valley producers, Beaucastel grows all 13 of the grapes permitted in the appellation and the estate uses an unusually high percentage of Mourvèdre in its red wines, usually around 30%, along with 30% Grenache and smaller amounts of Syrah,…
The 2006 Janasse Chaupin was the winning bottle in the November installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours. Domaine de la Janasse is located in Courthezon, in the Southern Rhone Valley, and it is one of the region’s brightest stars. The Sabon family has been growing grapes in the valley for several generations, but it…
Vieux Donjon was formed in 1966 by Marcel Michel. The current iteration came about in 1979 with the marriage of Lucien and Marie José Michel. Both Lucien and Marie José’s parents owned vineyards in the region, and those holdings were combined to form Vieux Donjon. The domaine covers fourteen hectares of vineyards, thirteen planted to red grapes and one planted…
The 2003 Clos des Papes was the winning bottle in the July Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was briefly decanted and served with Beef Stew on a stormy Summer night in Seattle. Clos des Papes is owned by the Avril family, now headed by Paul Avril and his son Vincent. The family has been making wine in…
The 2007 Domaine de Ferrand Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the winning bottle in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. Domaine de Ferrand was founded in 1960 by Charles Bravay. Philippe Bravay launched bottling directly at the winery when he took over the domaine from his father in 1995. Since 1997, a large part of the wine produced has been sold under…
Clos Saint Jean was founded in 1900 in Chateauneuf du Pape and is still a small, family-run operation. The estate produces 12,500 cases annually. Brothers Pascal and Vincent Maurel run the business. Clos Saint Jean primarily produces Chateauneuf du Pape, including the Vieilles Vignes and several special cuvees including the Combe des Fous and Deus-Ex Machina. In 2002, Philippe Cambie…
Cuvee du Vatican is a 40-acre estate in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, in the Rhone Valley. It is owned and operated by the Diffonty family, which traces its history in Rhone Valley winemaking to the 17th century. Jean-Marc Diffonty now runs the estate. In 1998, Cuvee du Vatican began producing the popular, Reserve Sixtine wine from some of their oldest vines. It’s usually…
Domaine Isabel Ferrando is owned by Isabel Ferrando who created the estate when she purchased 3.9 hectares of vines. The goal was to create a wine that was distinct from Domaine Saint Prefert, her other Southern Rhone winery. The wine is 100% old vine Grenache made from grapes ranging from 65-100 years of age. 2004 was the debut vintage. The…
The 2001 Domaine du Pégaü Cuvée Réservée was the winning bottle in the July installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was briefly decanted and served with grilled steaks. The family of Domaine du Pegau has roots in Châteauneuf-du-Pape dating back to the mid-17th century. The word Pegau refers to a wine jug discovered in the excavations of the…
The July Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. Voting will close this Saturday and the winning bottle will be opened this Sunday. A Bottle Note will be published…