Rhone Valley
Domaine de Villeneuve, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Villeneuve is situated in the northern part of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation on Château Beaucastel’s southern border. The estate’s 20 acres of mostly old vines grow on a mixture of soils, including Châteauneuf's signature river-smoothed cobblestones (galets roulés) over subsoils of red clay and sand. 90% of Villeneuve’s vines are between 30 and 100 years of age.
The property was purchased by the du Roy de Blicquy and Wallut families in 1993, and completely refurbished. Young Stanislas Wallut directs the domaine and tends his vines with strict adherence to the tenets of biodynamics. Stan believes this extreme school of organic farming, which includes the harnessing of natural forces and use of homeopathic preparations, is the key to maintaining the living soil necessary for continued health of the domaine’s precious old vines.
The modern, three-level, subterranean winery was designed to allow all operations to be carried out by gravity, eliminating the use of oxidative pumping and reducing the need for sulfur. Stan’s painstaking year-round vineyard regimen, meticulous fruit selection process at harvest, and non-manipulative cellar practices have resulted in age-worthy Châteauneufs that show terrific purity, depth and concentration.
Domaine Facts
| Vines: | 20.8 acres total. Vineyard practices are biodynamic–-certified by ECOCERT and BIODYVIN |
| Wines: | Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Vieilles Vignes: 70% Grenache, 16% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah, 4% Cinsault and 2% Clairette (white variety) |
| Soil: | Moisture-retaining clay and ferruginous sands covered in some plots by Châteauneuf’s plough-breaking galets roulés. |
| Harvest: | Manual harvest using small bins with strict selection in both vineyard and on sorting table upon arrival at the cellar. |
| Yields: | 25 hectoliters/hectare on average |
| Vinification & Elevage: |
Primary fermentation takes place in covered cement tanks for a period of 20 to 35 days. Red varieties are moved by gravity into neutral oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. Élevage is 18 to 20 months in a combination of 80 to 85% cement tanks and 15 to 20% neutral oak barrels. No filtration. |
| Annual Production: | 30,000 bottles / 2500 cases |