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. Crimson…
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 Chateauneuf-du-Pape for 300 years. The name Clos des Papes comes from the fact that the original vineyard was part of a papal estate located inside a chateau. The Avril family now owns parcels throughout the…
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the Rhone Valley, was founded in 1898 by Hippolyte Brunier. Located on the highest terrace of the appellation, the domaine was named for an 18th century telegraph relay tower located nearby. Today the 173-acre domaine is run by Daniel and Frederic Brunier, the great grandsons of the founder. Vieux Télégraphe is one of…
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 August installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the 2004 vintage. 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. I will open the winning bottle this coming weekend and publish a Bottle Note shortly thereafter. Similar…
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…
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 2004 Domaine du Pégaü Cuvée Réservée was the winning bottle in the July installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 45 minutes and served with grilled flank steak. 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…
The July installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the 2004 vintage. 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. I will open the winning bottle on July 28th and publish a Bottle Note in early August.…
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 the brand name of Domaine de Ferrand. The wine is primarily composed of Grenache with small amounts of…