Vieux Chemin Chateauneuf du Pape
Vieux Chemin, a blend of mainly Grenache and Syrah, is produced from a 12ha plot located on the hillsides of Liex known as “Les Grandes Gallières”. The vines were planted between 1980-1985 and are mainly on limestone soils with white pebbles from the Urgonian limestone – essential for obtaining a beautiful minerality – as well as brown soils and ‘safres’ compacted sand – for finesse and elegance.
Grapes are completely destemmed before being vinified in thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats. Vinification and vatting are carried on for a minimum of 21 days in vats with temperature control, load shedding then daily pumping over and stirring. Ageing is for 9 months in stainless steel and oak tuns and vats. There is a light filtration before bottling.
The characteristic terroir of Châteauneuf comes from a layer of stones called “galets” (pebbles). The rocks are remnants of Alpine glaciers that have been smoothed over millennia by the Rhône. The stone retains heat during the day and releases it at night which can have an effect of hastening the ripening of grapes. The stones can also serve as a protective layer to help retain moisture in the soil during the dry summer months.
Aromas of red and black fruits, nutmeg, spice with touches of liquorice and chocolate. Medium to full bodied with a lovely density to the palate of raspberry, dried prune, spice and leather. Taut mineral tannins hold everything within an elegant finish.
A Châteauneuf du Pape that can be enjoyed from its release, but can be kept for 6 years or more.
Food Match : Perfect with Roast Beef with all the trimmings, lamb dishes, lasagne, charcuterie, mature hard cheeses.
About the Producer
Chateau Fargueriol
Château Fargueirol is one of Châteauneuf du Pape’s oldest estates. It was mentioned as early as the 17th Century in the archives of the village. It then belonged, as a farm surrounded by vineyards, to the Revoltier family, under the direct jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Avignon. The Revoltier family had to leave Fargueirol during the French revolution, settling in Courthèzon, and nearly 200 years passed before the family returned.
In 1974, in the midst of a financial wine crisis, Joseph Revoltier bought Fargueirol – largely abandoned and its 10ha of vines neglected – back into family hands. After costly renovation work the castle, which was falling into ruin, was restored (today, only part of the original Château remains – following the revolution Fargueirol was burned and pillaged). The vines underwent uprooting, new plantings and above all grafting. In the ’80s and ’90s there was further expansion with more work carried out in order to plant vines in limestone areas of scrubland.
The estate‘s current size is 30ha in AOP Chateauneuf du Pape (including 13 hectares on one of the best soils of the appellation, the alluvial terraces dating from the Quaternary era, also known as “rolled pebbles”, located around the castle); and 10ha in the clay-limestone terroirs of replanted scrubland plus 8ha in AOP Côtes du Rhône and 2 ha in IGP Méditerranée – currently at rest.
Château Fargueirol basks in its exceptional location in the north of the Appellation, surrounded by vines at slight altitude with a splendid view of Mont Ventoux, the Rhône river and the castle of Châteauneuf du Pape.
The Revoltier family are currently in the 7th generation of winegrowers. Fargueirol is a family property rooted in the countryside, in tradition and in winemaking. Work in the vineyard, in the cellar and in sales is all done by the family – other than drawing on seasonal workers only during peaks of activity (harvest and pruning).
They perpetuate ‘ancestral’ methods: eg manual and carefully sorted harvests, winemaking respectful of tradition and family know-how – while using modern techniques when appreciating “efficient” innovation.
Since 2019, the Domaine has been certified High Environmental Value. HVE certification promotes environmentally friendly practices at the level of the entire agricultural operation, covering concerns over water management as well as fertilisation, plant protection and the preservation of biodiversity. It certifies that elements of biodiversity (hedges, grass strips, trees, flowers, insects, etc.) are very widely present on the farm and that the pressure of agricultural practices on the environment (air, climate, water, soil, biodiversity, landscapes) is reduced to a minimum.
