Created in 1956 by 7 passionate winegrowers, today that number has increased to 78 across 130 hectares, mostly in Gigondas but now also taking in Vacqueyras and Beaumes de Venise. Here at the foot of the Dentelles the unique microclimate combined with 7 soils types allows the winemakers to craft wines that have complexity and freshness while maintaining hand harvesting and traditional winemaking techniques ensure that quality is always good.
Owned by the Mestre family, Domaine de la Côte de l'Ange has been run since 1988 by Corinne Mestre and her husband Yannick Gasparri, who were joined in 2017 by their son Jules. The vineyards are situated in plots around Châteauneuf du Pape with a small parcel of Côte du Rhône.
While not registered the Domaine is managed with great respect to the environment, pheromone traps are placed to confuse male butterflies and prevent them mating while the rows are ploughed rather than use herbicides. The aim here is to get the healthiest possible grapes into the winery while looking after the natural world.
Ludovic and Emmanuel (sons of late Gérard) run a small family business estate located in Mauves on the right bank of the Rhône river, south of the Saint-Joseph designated area of production – formerly nicknamed “Vin de Mauves”. Courbis’ vines average 40 years old and are rooted deep in granite slopes split in high lying terraces only allowing for manual labour. Most of the estate plots of vines are clinging to the famous Saint-Joseph cradle hillside – nearing the villages of Mauves and Tournon-sur-Rhône. This privileged situation in both Saint-Joseph and Cornas (with some acreage in newly acquired property), where the up-to-60%-steep slopes benefit from exceptional drainage, sunshine and maturity, enable the Courbis’ to produce unique wines expressing tremendous freshness, melted tannins and yet an almost ethereal style with full-on terroir expression.
In 1984, Hervé Richard became the third generation wine producer from his family in Chavanay, a small village located at the heart of the Pilat regional natural park. With the Condrieu AOC revival and the development of the Saint Joseph AOC, and with the help of his parents, he was able to specialize in these Rhône Valley "grands crus" wines.
Since then, Domaine Richard has come a long way and by 2007 Hervé Richard was working 8.5 hectares of vines with his wife, Marie Thérèse, who had joined him in 1997. Athough the growing conditions on the "coteaux" (slopes) are very tough, they endeavour to work in the most environmentally-friendly manner possible.
Created in 2001 by wine growers going back four generations, Domaine La Loyane is a family owned vineyard cultivating 25 hectares in the communes of Rochefort du Gard, Saint Laurent des Arbres and Saze.
Profiting from an exceptional geographical and geological setting, the vineyard is managed with respect for the environment with low yields from the oldest part of the property. Each parcel is hand picked and vinified separately to give the family complete control over their finished wines, with the complex geology of their vineyards gives them scope to produce wines not only that have great concentration and length but that show real complexity too.
Philippe Jaboulet spend 30 years working as production manager at the family domaine Paul Jaboulet Ainé. Aling with his son Vincent they have now started their own domaine taking some of the family vines with them and adding in other parcels. They now work 30 hectares which are certified ‘Haute Valeur Environnemental’, have a modern winery and produce a lovely range of wines blending modern techniques with a traditional terroir driven style.
Font de Joubert are made by the Charrier family from old vines, many over 100 years old. These gnarly old vines produce a concentrated grape juice from a number of small plots that are co-fermented. Almost entirely Grenache, just 3% is made up of a mixture of other permitted varieties which are planted in among the Grenache vines. The focus here is on fresh elegance with great concentration rather than power and volume.
Un Bon Canon is an exclusive label of great value wines from Languedoc and Rhône made for us by Françoise Chamboissier at DivaSud. These are characterful, well made wines that offer a huge amount of pleasure while remaining pocket friendly.