Domaine de Beaurenard

In the 14th century, during their stays in Avignon, the popes – and especially Pope John XXII – built a papal castle in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Impressed by the area's exceptional soils, they established vineyards on the slopes surrounding the château and were instrumental in promoting the local wine's reputation around the world.

The Coulon brothers, Daniel and Frédéric, have taken over from Paul and Régine and are striving to sustain tradition.

The estate covers 32 hectares (a little under 80 acres) of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 25 hectares in the Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau AOC area.

The savoir-faire passed on by previous generations has been enhanced by modern technology: temperature-controlled vats (some of them with cap-punching tools), a destemmer, a pneumatic press, and so on.

This vinification process emphasizes the core qualities of the terroir and the various grape varieties.

We ferment our grapes the traditional way, at length (15-31 days), use indigenous yeast (no additives) and control our vinification temperatures constantly, in order to extract good, supple tannins and a deep color.

The white wines are vinified at a lower controlled temperature (20°C) to conserve the natural aromas of the grapes and soil (flowers, fruit and minerals).

In 2004 we created a new vat room for vinification in wood, with small truncated oak vats, to further upgrade the way wine is made at Beaurenard

Fermentation in oak vats allows effective cap-punching and moderate oxygenation, as well as rounding and polymerising the tannins and imparting greater richness and mellowness to the wines.

Once vinified, the wine is put in oak barrels for a period of malolactic fermentation. This is the first stage of ageing, which continues on fine lees in oak fûts (228 litres) and foudres (30hl) and truncated oak vats (80hl) for 9-18 months. Ageing helps to clarify the wines and helps their structure to develop.

Each movement must be performed with timely precision, as we have been taught by previous generations. Topping-up, racking, fining (as necessary), regular tastings using the pipette, and the meticulous work done on the barrels all contribute to making the very most of our wines.

All of these minor details ultimately make a big difference.