Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Wineries

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William Echikson
Posted: April 26, 2001


		Above: La Mirande

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wineries

By William Echikson

Château La Nerthe
Domaine Charvin
Château Mont-Redon
Château de St.-Cosme
Domaine Santa Duc

Château La Nerthe

Most Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaines don't look grand. Many even seem a bit scruffy. These are family estates handed down through many generations. But Château La Nerthe is an exception. Tall shade trees grace its driveway. The elegant, 18th century main building, at the top of a hill overlooking the vineyards, stands like a regal Bordeaux château, with two towers and a chapel.

La Nerthe's wine ranks as one of the most modern and accessible Châteauneufs-it has less tannin than Beaucastel or Vieux Télégraphe, and is ready to drink earlier. Almost all La Nerthe wines are vinified in wood, many in small barrels, which is rare in Châteauneuf. No filtering is allowed. The white wines are particularly attractive as well, richer and rounder than most other white Châteauneufs.

Best of all, La Nerthe welcomes visitors free of charge into its sparkling cellars and to tastings seven days a week. All the wines are available for purchase at the château, at the same price as in French wine shops.

Route de Sorgues, 84230 Châteaneuf-du-Pape
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-83-70-11
Fax (011) 33-4-90-83-79-69
Open Daily, 10 a.m. to noon, 2 to 6 p.m.

Domaine Charvin

Gérard Charvin, 59, and his son Laurent, 32, own just 16 acres at the northern edge of the Châteauneuf appellation. Both are passionate about their work, and since they started bottling their own wines, in 1992, critics have been taking note. The unfiltered wines are inexpensive, only $10 for a rich, rustic Châteauneuf. The more-than-drinkable Côtes du Rhône goes for a mere $5.

Chemin Maucoil, 84100 Orange
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-34-41-10
Fax (011) 33-4-90-51-65-59
Web site www.domaine-charvin.com
Open By appointment only, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Château Mont-Redon

The dirt road to this château bumps over a stone-smothered, baked plateau of vineyards, helping visitors understand why Châteauneuf-du-Pape produces such exotic, headstrong and perfumed wines. Mont-Redon is one of the appellation's largest properties, with 200 acres (plus more just outside the appellation), and its dark brown, wood-paneled tasting room looks like a living room, appropriate for this family-owned estate.

84231 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-83-72-75
Fax (011) 33-4-90-83-77-20
E-mail chateaumontredon@ wanadoo.fr
Open Thursday to Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 8 a.m. to noon, 2 to 4 p.m.

Château de St.-Cosme

84190 Gigondas
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-65-80-80
Fax (011) 33-4-90-65-81-05
Open By appointment only, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon; 2 to 5 p.m.

Domaine Santa Duc

The friendly Yves Gras, 38, is turning out some impressive Gigondas, playing deftly with the various microclimates he's discovered in his 51-acre vineyard, which encompasses flat land and hillsides. It's a lovely site, with the pretty village of Gigondas visible in the distance. Gras is the fourth generation of his family to make wine here.

Les Hautes Garrigues, 84190 Gigondas
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-65-84-49
Fax (011) 33-4-90-65-81-63
Open By appointment only to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 8 a.m. to noon, 2 to 4 p.m.