Domaine Duseigneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Catarina 2018
Type: Red
Country: France
Region: Southern Rhone
Grape Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan
Viticulture: Biodynamic | Certified Organic
Climate: Mediterranean climate with cold winters, and warm summers. Rain falls predominantly in the autumn and winter months
Terroir: Situated on the other side of the Rhône in Saint Laurent des Arbres, the terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not only composed of large orange-coloured pebbles but also several types of soil such as red clay, limestone pebbles, sandstone sands of marine origin or deeper silt from the banks of the Rhône
Winemaking: 30% of the harvest is not destemmed. Fermented on indigenous yeasts for 4 to 5 weeks in cement vats. Maturing of a wine in half-muids for 12 months
Color: Bright ruby
Nose: Notes of black raspberries, black cherries, peppery garrigue and earth
Palate: A juicy palate over a fine but well-asserted structure
About the Winery:
‘To receive and to pass on’, is the mission statement driving Bernard Duseigneur and the team at Domaine Duseigneur. And walk the walk they do.
The Duseigneur family relocated from Algeria in the 1960s, starting over in the Rhone Valley with ambition, with the patriarch Jean taking over abandoned plots and planting vines in Lirac. With not much money and children to feed, he set about working the land to improve the health of the soil and therefore the vines. It was this traditional approach to farming, coupled with a lack of funds to purchase chemicals, that set the Domaine out on an organic pathway from its inception.
As per the family’s mission statement, the whole operation is driven by a desire to function harmoniously with their environment, honour the terroir and pass on the knowledge to future generations. Today, the Domaine is run by Jean’s son Bernard Duseigneur, who commands a total of 28 hectares, including nine in Chateauneuf with the remainder spread across the right bank in Lirac and Laudin. The vines are considerably aged across the board, averaging 50-60 years old, with some 135-year-old beauties producing a tiny 800 bottles a year,
Under Bernard’s stewardship, the Domaine began practising biodynamic techniques in 2002, with Ecocert certification three years later, furthering the dedication to the health of their vineyards. These wines are a true reflection of their place.
