[ Southern Rhone – France ]
www.Domaine-Les-Cailloux.fr
Reviews & Tasting Notes
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[ Story: ]
The Brunel family history as landowners in Chateauneuf-du-Pape dates back to around 1690, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that they began producing estate bottled wines. This deeply rooted history in the southern Rhone culminated with the introduction of a new wine in 1989 dubbed “Cuvee Centennaire”, which immediately skyrocketed this family winery to a position amongst the most respected and esteemed producers in all of France. Brunel’s “Cuvee Centennaire” bottling is produced from a single 125+ year old plot judged by leading wine experts and critics as a monumental benchmark for the viticultural potential Chateaneuf-du-Pape.
In addition to the cult “Cuvee Centennaire”, Andre Brunel owns some 50 acres of vineyards across the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation which go into the production of the well-known and celebrated “Les Cailloux” cuvees – both red and white – as well as more than 20 acres of vineyard in the Cotes-du-Rhone where he produces two reds and a white. The red wines produced by Andre Brunel are Grenache-based usually comprising about 70% of the CdP blends – and an even higher proportion of up to 85% of his Cotes-du-Rhones. The whites, meanwhile, are comprised of more less equal (25-30%) parts each of Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Roussanne – and are finished with a splash (up to 10%) of Bourboulenc.