Domaine La Barroche Fiancée Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which means “pope’s new castle”, owes its name to John XXII, a pope who fell in love with the area, had a castle built in this town on the Rhône and encouraged vine cultivation. One of the most renowned denominations in the Southern Rhône whose wines boast a classic style. However, people like Julien Barrot, the latest generation of a 14th century family estate, has taken the reins of this winemaking project with determination to offer the typical opulence of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines with the utmost finesse and elegance. These people are a breath of fresh air to a denomination that had been somewhat stuck in a rut until then.

In 2002, at their Domaine La Barroche winery, Julien and his sister Laeticia upped the quality by moving from making wine in bulk to making bottled wine. By doing more in the vineyard and intervening less in the winery, they realised the great potential of their hundred-year-old vines planted in 12.5 hectares of vineyards. With these vines they have created wines like Domaine La Barroche Fiancée Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which is made with Garnacha Tinta and Syrah. No chemical products are used and the yield is limited as much as possible to showcase the area’s great sandy clay terroir. The grapes are harvested entirely by hand and each variety is vinified separately in the winery. Then, the unripe stalks are removed and the wine rests on the skins for 4 weeks. Then the Garnacha is aged in old oak barrels, the Mourvèdre and Syrah in 600L barrels and the Cinsault in stainless steel tanks. 18 months later the wine is bottled unfiltered.

It should be noted that with a limited production of 1,000 bottles, Domaine La Barroche Fiancée Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be difficult to find, especially because it is not made every vintage. So if you want to witness the essence of the new generation Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, you certainly won’t want to miss the chance to get your hands on one.