Domaine Font de Courtedune

Tradition is the wisdom of the many. In following it, the Charriers craft wines with a very specific sense of place – the singular sands of Courthézon. MATT WALLS, Decanter While we have long admired the textural and perfumed wines from Font de Courtdeune, over the last few years it seems their star has risen exponentially internationally, to the point where our allocations are shrinking and demand continues to rise. It's a a congruence of improvements in quality, some overdue press, and I think a growing appreciation of Chateauneuf grown in sandy soils where Grenache sings with distinctive beauty. On this trajectory these wines will soon be limited to allocation only for our customers as well, we all know that timeline and so this is the time to be jumping in and enjoying the bounty. I mentioned the sandy soils above and this is the place to start the conversation around these wines. While the press photo for Chateauneuf du Pape is sure to be one of old gnarled vines in rugged vineyards littered with the large round stones know as 'galets' on plateaus like Le Crau, there is far more to the region than this monolithic vision. In Courthezon for example, where Font de Courtedune resides, you will find vineyards encircled by cool coniferous woodlands with vines slithering their roots down into sandy soils peppered with clay and limestone. If there was ever a sales pitch for this 'alternative' terroir it would be the resume of Font de Courtedune's neighbours whose wines are arguably the most revered and sought-after in all of the southern Rhone, Chateau Rayas. This is grenache nirvana, the silty soils delivering wonderfully perfumed and silky wines. It's no surprise that you will find little else in the mix in Font de Courtedune's Chateauneuf bottling. The second part of the equation here is Caroline Charrier's no nonsense approach to winemaking which is led by a blend of tradition and pragmatism. In the winery the approach is unfussy but carefully measured, the old vine grenache is handled with care, whole bunch fermented and then aged in concrete with no oak in sight. The focus here remains on fruit and site, not artifice and ego, and the results are wonderfully perfumed, silky and rich wines bound together by sinew and spice. Gregarious in their youth but built to cellar and build complexity too. The domain covers 3,5 ha. in AOC Chateauneuf du Pape, 4 ha. Cotes du Rhone Village and 10 ha. Cotes du Rhone. The vines are quite old, one ha. in Chateauneuf du Pape is 90 years old and the age of vines in Cotes du Rhone Village are 50 years old, in Cotes du Rhone 40 years old. Chateauneuf du Pape 85% Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvedre. Aged in cement tank. Cotes du Rhone Village 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah.