The name Chapoutier is nearly synonymous with the Rhone Valley. Headquartered in Tain in the Northern Rhone’s Hermitage A.O.C., Maison M. Chapoutier produces a great number of wines from both the Northern Rhone and from the Southern Rhone. From the value-end to the very top wines in the region, Chapoutier is able to do both because it owns its own vineyards as well as having a large “negociant” business where they buy grapes and wine made by other and distribute under their name and auspices. Originally founded in 1808 by the Calvet family, the Chapoutier family acquired it in 1855 and it has remained in family hands ever since.
Tasting at Clos Saint Jean
We came to taste at this most revered and exclusive of wineries in Châteauneuf-du-Pape through a very nice bit of good luck. Perhaps there really are no more than six degrees of separation in the world. We were joined on a recent visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape by a friend who happens to be the former squash pro in Avignon as well as a very accomplished jazz violinist. A regular gig for him was to play at Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s best restaurant La Mère Germaine. He suggested we go there for lunch, and after consuming a sumptuous meal there he introduced us to the restaurant’s charming chef/owner, David Rocamora. David asked if we had lined up any tastings and when we informed him we had not, he said “leave it to me” and promptly lined us up with two of the best. That is how we got to meet Vincent Maurel and taste the magnificent wines at Clos Saint Jean.
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Founded in 1948, Domaine Pierre Usseglio is the creation of an Italian whose family, over the course of three generations, has carved out a world-class reputation for making outstanding wine in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The view from the castle ruins
AdVINEtures recently spent 5 days in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the historic and beautiful wine region of France’s Southern Rhone Valley. The region is rich in history and the wines that it produces can be among the very best in France and the world. This primer will provide some of the background information about this region and will give some context to the future articles that we will be publishing about the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
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Grape varietals indigenous to the Rhone Valley have been grown elsewhere in the world for years. Notably, Spain has roughly ¾ of the acreage planted to Grenache that France does and Australia has about ¾ of the Syrah that France does. But the USA has been the late entrant to the game, and while it does not have nearly the amount of acres under vine of Rhone varietals, it has certainly become a force to be reckoned with for lovers of Rhone wines.
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