Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The planting of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape dates back to Roman times. In those days, this place was called Châteauneuf. The pope's suffix was added after the pope's trip to Avignon following his conflict with the king of France in 1309. 8 Popes then stayed in this commune and planted vines there. The region was not officially called "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" until 1893 while the institution of this 1st French wine AOC dates from 1937. Overview of the terroir of this appellation Châteauneuf-du-Pape as well as the best producers in this denomination.

History and terroir of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation

This wine region located in the Rhone Valley, in the department of Vaucluse covers about 3200 ha. The city of Orange and its Roman ruins delimit the city to the north. To the south, it is defined by the city of Sorgues, to the east, we find the main road A7 and the Rhône to the west. In 2014, there are 320 domain owners active in this appellation. About 250 of them take care of bottling and selling their own wines. The rest sell their harvest to traders or cooperatives. 93% of vineyards produce red wines. Most of the estates are small with a few exceptions such as Mont Redon which has 100 ha of vineyards. The number of winegrowers who operate vineyards of 30 ha is only 24. The appellation created in 1937 is divided into 5 communes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which is the largest region, Orange, Courthezon, Sorgues and Bédarrides. Each of these 5 municipalities is divided into 134 different localities.
The terroirs of the AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape are made up of rolling pebbles, limestone soils, red sandstones, red clays, sand and safre. The variations, the capacity of soil drainage, their mineral composition and the difference between the principles of winemaking produce different accents to the wines. 13 grape varieties can make up this appellation including Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Terret Noir among others.

Our selection of the best wine producers in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation