Our first full day in the Southern Rhône took us to the hallowed vineyards of Châteauneuf du Pape and the historic Château La Nerthe.
This estate is one of the longest established wine properties in the region with a fascinating history. Domaines Richard are the current owner. We were hosted by Alexi – who is training to be a sommelier – and he transmitted a delightful energy into our tour. Standing outside the beautiful château, he delivered a succinct history of the estate, revealed the water source that surrounds the property and took us into the beautiful old cellar where we saw hidden rooms that were only discovered in the 1990’s.
We then experienced a fabulous tasting in a private room in the château. Three whites and four reds, comprising a couple of Côtes du Rhône and the rest Châteauneuf du Papes. Quality was exceptional with the highlights being the 2014 Clos de Beauvenir white – stunningly rich and complex and the Cuvée des Cadettes red 2018 which was intense and full bodied. With an average alcohol level of around 15% caution was advised.
This was a great visit in a beautiful place on a beautiful day.
It was then a ten minute drive to the centre of Châteauneuf du Pape village and lunch at Le Comptoir de la Mère Germaine. Sitting on a sunny terrace overlooking the vineyards we enjoyed a tasty lunch washed down with a mix of local wines.
After lunch we headed over to Tavel – an AOC dedicated to dry rosés and renowned around the world for its quality. Our destination was Domaine de la Mordorée, an estate we first visited in 2013. Family owned, this is a highly regarded organic and biodynamic estate. Hosted by Justine, we took a walk through their vineyards, discussed the biodynamic approach and got a great insight into their philosophy.
Back at the estate we settled into a comprehensive tasting of white and red Lirac, two contrasting Tavel rosés and a Châteauneuf du Pape. The wines were wonderfully balanced despite maintaining our 15% rolling alcohol average.
This was a great first day – and some of us ventured out in the evening to enjoy beautiful Avignon!