Domaine Saint Prefert dates back almost 100 years, to the early 1920’s, when Fernand Serre purchased an 80 hectare parcel of land. He founded Domaine Saint Prefert in 1930. The winery quickly earned a reputation for making high quality Chateauneuf du Pape and Domaine Saint Prefert became one of the first wines exported from the Southern Rhone to the United…
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…
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…
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…
2006 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the winning bottle in the July Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. 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 14th century Pope’s palace in Avignon. Today, the estate is run by…
The July installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2006 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. I plan on opening the winning bottle this Sunday and will publish a Bottle Note shortly thereafter. Although overshadowed by 2005…
The 2006 Usseglio mon Aïeul was the winning bottle in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for an hour and served with homemade beef stew. Pierre Usseglio, not to be confused with Raymond Usseglio (a different winery owned by his brother) was founded in 1948 by Francis Usseglio. Francis moved to the Rhone from Italy…
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…
The November installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2006 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. I plan on opening the winning bottle on Thanksgiving and will publish a Bottle Note shortly thereafter. Although overshadowed by 2005…
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…