schiller-wine: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique in Courthézon, Châteauneuf du Pape, with Owner Véronique Bonnet and Owner/ Winemaker Eric Bonnet - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique in Courthézon, Châteauneuf du Pape, with Owner Véronique Bonnet and Owner/ Winemaker Eric Bonnet - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

On the last day of

Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

we focused on Châteauneuf du Pape.

We started the day with a vist of Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique in Courthézon, Châteauneuf du Pape. Owner Véronique Bonnet was our host. We briefly met her brother/ owner/ winemaker Eric Bonnet.

Pictures: Arriving at La Bastide Saint Dominique

Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique

Owner Véronique Bonnet: La Bastide Saint Dominique estate lies in the heart of Provence, right in the foothills of Chateauneuf du pape, buffeted by the gusts of the Mistral wind and bathed by the bright southern sun.

Located at the heart of the Southern Rhône Valley, a stone’s throw away from Châteauneuf du Pape, La Bastide Saint Dominique estate enjoys optimal climate with the unique Mistral wind and very hot and dry summers.

Picture: Châteauneuf du Pape and Courthézon

Built around a former 16th century chapel, the estate was created by Marie-Claude and Gérard Bonnet with only a handful of hectares. With strong commitment and passion, the Bonnet’s have expanded the estate to a total area of 50 hectares, producing Appellations d’Origine Protégée (AOP) Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Cairanne, Châteauneuf du Pape and Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) Méditerranée.

Since 1999, their son Eric has been working with them and now takes care of the whole process from production to vinification with a more innovative approach, both on technical and marketing levels.

Our award-winning wines can be found at various establishments around the world, starting with the UK, Benelux, Scandinavia, Germany but also the USA, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, to name a few. Committed to the environment, we registered for the French AB (Agriculture Biologique) Organic farming certification in 2011 and starting with the 2014 vintage, our wines are now certified.

Pictures: Tasting

The Vineyards

Owner Véronique Bonnet: Our particular combination of unique soil makeup, a rich assortment of grape varietals, and old vines ensure that La Bastide Saint Dominique wines are of exceptional quality. Our vines are planted in safre on the surface, resting on limestone. The rest of the vineyard is composed of red clay and round pebbles which contribute to maintaining heat and regenerating it when needed.

All our cultural practices match the requirements of the Organic Farming regulations, as it is our priority to maintain both soil and vines with precise pruning methods, green harvest etc. Yields are naturally low and the whole estate is harvested by hand. Star grape varietals are those of the Rhône Valley, Grenache and Syrah of course, along with Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Clairette, Roussanne, Viognier, each bringing its own value and specifics to obtain a beautiful portfolio.

Cellar: Tradition and Modernity

Owner Véronique Bonnet:: At La Bastide Saint Dominique, while conserving our traditional methods of winemaking, we have invested in modern equipment. Relentlessly in pursuit of quality, we sort our grapes upon harvest at the vineyard, and a second time upon arrival at the cellar. All grapes are destemmed carefully, and each varietal is vinified separately. We personally take great care of the blends and the final bottling steps. We focus on the authenticity of the grape varietals and our unique “terroir”. This enables each varietal to express its utmost at the blending stage, which has an impact at the consumer level, allowing for enjoyment of our wines at various aging stages.

Pictures: In the Cellar

The Wines we Tasted

Already recognized during Roman times, Rhône Valley wines strongly benefited from the Popes’ time in Avignon during the 14th century when they set up their summer residence in Châteauneuf du Pape. As France’s second largest wine region, the Rhône Valley offers a diversity of soils, and its star grapes Grenache and Syrah are at their best. Located in the Southern Rhône Valley, between Orange and Avignon, our estate enjoys a hot and dry climate, typical of the Mediterranean region. Hot sun and Mistral, combined with the unique characteristics of our soils, give our wines most desirable traits and delightful flavours. Our wines are generous, cheerful, full-bodied, sun-filled, and still elegant and refined.

IGP Méditerranée

Our IGP Indication Géographique Protégée, standing for the new classification “Protected Geographical Indication” are cheerful, sun-filled and expressive wines. Available in 3 colours, as grape wines or blends, they grow on 5-60 year old vines between Courthézon and Orange. Grape varietals include Syrah and Merlot as well as Grenache for the Reds and Rosé and Roussanne in White.

Côtes du Rhône

Gourmand, fruity, delicately spiced, our portfolio of Côtes du Rhône and Cotes du Rhône Villages is based on blends where Grenache or Syrah are the stars. They are cultivated mainly on North/South-facing hills, and originate from 15-55 year-old vines.

2017 La Bastide Saint Dominique Cotes du Rhône Villages Rouge

- 50% Grenache
- 20% Syrah
- 15% Mourvèdre
- 15% Carignan

18 days of vatting in stainless steel tanks. Punchcapping, pump-over, with control of the temperatures (max 28°c). Ageing of 12 months in vat before blend and bottling.

Cairanne

Known for its rich, complex and expressive nose, the most recently named Cru of the Côtes du Rhône (Cairanne became a “Cru” in February 2016), is the most recent entry in our portfolio. Back in 2013, we took over the former Cairanne based Estate “Aéria” and elaborated a first of the kind. 12 hectares, located 22 km away from Courthézon, 15 – 50 year old vines, clay-limestone grounds on areas known as “Estévenas”, “les Douyes” and “les Guarrigues”, make a perfect age-worthy type wine alongside our Châteauneuf du Pape.

2016 La Bastide Saint Dominique Cairanne

- 25% Grenache
- 25% Syrah
- 25% Mourvèdre
- 25% Carignan

Châteauneuf du Pape

A unique terroir, discovered by the Popes as early as the 12th century and enhanced by the initiator of the Appellations d’Origine Controlee system of Baron Le Roy, Châteauneuf du Pape benefits from a long tradition of high quality wines. The region’s unique bottle, with engraved keys of Saint Pierre and the Pope’s tiara, is a pledge for authenticity. Our Châteauneuf du Pape are mainly on plateaux and small hillsides, sandy soil and clay soils with the terroir’s famous round pebbles. Aged between 25 and 100 year old, our vines are located on the celebrated areas of Pignan, les Bédines, Valori, Saint Georges and Guigasse.

2016 La Bastide Saint Dominique Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge

- 80% Grenache
- 10% Syrah
- 7% Mourvèdre
- 3% Cinsault

2015 La Bastide Saint Dominique Châteauneuf du Pape Les Hesperides Rouge

- 50% Grenache
- 50% Mourvèdre

Bye-bye

Many thanks Véronique and Eric.

Picture: Bye-bye

A Few Years Back: Eric Bonnet in Washington DC

Annette and I met Eric Bonnet for the first time a few years ago in McLean, Virginia, at a winemaker dinner: Dinner with Owner/Winemaker Eric Bonnet of Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France/USA