In the vineyard
They farm 5.5 hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 9.5 hectares that are classified as Côtes du Rhône. Sharing the sandy soils of its neighbor Rayas, the vineyards here are wonderfully old – with some vines dating back to 1900, having deep roots that are able to cope with the challenges of each vintage and producing incredibly concentrated fruit.
The Châteauneuf vineyards are mainly dedicated to Grenache (which represents around 99% of the vineyard area and final blend), with just a sprinkling of Mourvèdre, Counoise, Cinsault and Terret Noir. The Côtes du Rhône vineyards have more Cinsault and Syrah, although are still dominated by Grenache.
The farming here is fairly conventional but sustainable, with as little intervention as possible.
In the winery
Caroline has been making the wines for 10 years, and everything is traditional with a philosophy of minimal intervention.
The fruit is picked by hand, all fermented whole-bunch in concrete tanks with native yeast, and no oak in sight. Each parcel is vinified separately and blended prior to bottling. The Côtes du Rhône spends nine months in concrete, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape 18 months. Production is small; in total they produce around 1,250 cases of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and just over 2,000 cases for the Côtes du Rhône.