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Producers of Chateauneuf du Pape and Côtes du Rhône
Château de la Gardine is an estate of 54 hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a family run vineyard which displays the 3 type of soils of the designation.
In 1963, 47 hectares Rasteau and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages completed the range.
In 1998, 45 hectares were added, with the acquisition of the Château Saint-Roch under the Lirac delimited appellation.
With the new brand Brunel de la Gardine, the range has been developped with some chosen Crus of the Northern and Southern Rhône Valley.
Wine-growing region and vineyards
From the very first glance from the terrace, a breathtaking panoramic view welcomes you to Château de la Gardine. From this outstanding view can be seen not only the geography, but also the history and the geology of the Appellation Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its wines.
Nestled in a setting formed from East to West by terraces of rolled quartz pebbles, mixed with red clay and Quaternary limestone, the view goes southwards, driven by the majestic Rhône river and the line of the Luberon and its famous Alpilles crests. Avignon, so close by, can be glimpsed under the glare of the sun and the breath of the Mistral wind.
The unique Châteauneuf-du-Pape terroir is stretched on over 3200 hectares (7900 ac) between the Ouvèze valley and the Rhône, patiently woven over time by the river’s movement, from East to West.
At the heart of the Southern Rhône Valley, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards are particularly marked by a hot and dry Mediterranean climate, with the Mistral, blowing for most of the year.
This « Mistral » wind forces to prune the vines very short and to have very low yields. In return, it naturally cleanses the vineyards all year long. The 2800 hours of sunshine a year ensure optimal ripening and contribute to the outstanding quality of one of France’s greatest crus.
The Brunel Family
The Brunel Family has been making wines in the Southern Rhône Valley since 1670. Their story in Châteauneuf du Pape starts in the middle of the 20th century. They made this old and famous but a bit forgotten Estate one of the first of contemporary Châteauneuf du Pape.
Four generations lived, worked and are still thriving in Château de La Gardine, cultivating the vineyards and creating genuine wines, true to their soils and vintages. The 8 family members, representing 3 generations, are proud to offer you their wines of Châteauneuf du Pape red and white, their Rasteau and Lirac as well as other selected crus of the Southern and Northern Rhône Valley.
All those wines are a testimony to their Designation as well as one for the family spirit, all oriented towards quality, authenticity and a deep respect and understanding of the environment.
Our philosophy
Express the purest and frankest expression of the soils, the grapes’ and vintages’ genuineness in the wines while protecting the environment : that’s the challenge the 8 members of the Brunel Family set themselves each and every year.
The Château de La Gardine 54 ha (133 ac) in Châteauneuf du Pape and 48 ha (118 ac) in Rasteau as well as the Château Saint-Roch 40 ha (98 ac) in Lirac present a huge variety of soils, geographic and climatic expositions.
Quite a good proportion of the estate is kept wild and forested. These set-aside zones are equally distributed all through the vineyards. They form oases of freshness assuaging the mediterranean climate’s periods of drought and build natural shelters for pollinating insects and local fauna and flora.
A lot of the plots are located near the Rhône River. This regular amount of freshness makes the white Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine particularly expressive and for the grapes of Mourvèdre to come out at its fullest.
The Family’s “Less is More” motto, thoroughly developed through times either in the vineyards or in the winemaking, based on long-term modeling patterns, is very scarce on intrants, those being as natural as possible.
As a result Château de La Gardine and Château Saint-Roch Crus, Côtes-du-Rhône Village and Côtes-du-Rhône offer wines which are very fresh, vivid and fruity, outstandingly true to their soil of origin, their vintage and also to the personality of their winemaker.
An iconic bottle
Château de La Gardine wines are bottled since 1964 in an exclusive flask, fruit of the historical mind and the marketing genius of Gaston Brunel, patriarch and founding winemaker of the modern Château de La Gardine.
While digging the second underground cellar under the old house in the mid-fifties, the Brunel Family made an archeological find which has been pivotal for the Estate’s future.
It was a very old mouth-blown flask, one of the first to have been used in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to bottle wines in history. Out of all modern standards, it was showing a very special etching which has been put on our today’s bottles, whose form has been carved following the shape of this old flask.
This well recognisable form connects the pioneer past of the estate to its still very creative present. Gaston Brunel made his Rhône Crus and wines part of the ancient history of his Estate and launched them successfully in the future. This bottle has been the way by which the Brunel Family conquered the West, selling first in North America and then throughout the world. (The distinctive and easily recognizable shape of this bottle serves as a bridge between the estate’s pioneering past and its ever-evolving creativity. Gaston Brunel embedded his Rhône Crus and wines into the rich history of the estate, successfully propelling them into the future. This bottle symbolizes the Brunel Family’s conquest of the western world, initially making its mark in North America before expanding its influence worldwide.)
You will find this unique flask almost everywhere, where people enjoy good food and wines, on connoisseur tables as well as in the best restaurants (This exceptional and unique flask can be found in a multitude of settings, gracing the tables of discerning connoisseurs and adorning the finest restaurants, wherever fine food and wines are savored).
Our wines from
Château de la Gardine & Château Saint Roch
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s story goes throughout the ages, shaping unique wines that you will discover in the exclusive range the Brunel Family has patiently developed for generations.
With 13 grape varieties and exclusive soils, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape designation displays an almost boundless aromatic palette. Those vineyards, some of the world's most famous, have existed since the end of the Roman Empire. Their name and fame have been brought by Clément V and Jean XXII, first Popes of Avignon in the XIVth century and never failed since.
The Registered Designation of Origin was created in 1936. The designation covers 3200 ha on the villages of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Courthézon and Bédarrides and the towns of Orange and Sorgues.
Rasteau
Classified as Côte-du-Rhône in 1957 and as Côtes-du-Rhône Village ten years after, the wines of Rasteau got a local designation in 2005 before becoming a Cru in 2010.
The vineyard located north of Avignon in the department of Vaucluse, between the rivers Aygues and Ouvèze. The vineyards gather the 3 main soils typical for this designation : brown soils and limestone, skeletal shallow soils on marls and red soils on sandstone.
Our reds from Rasteau are rich, full-bodied and well-balanced with a long persistence. They display a full bouquet of ripe red berries associated with pepper and vanilla notes. Greatly enjoyable on the intensity of their young years, they become more complex, round and noble by ageing. They can be kept between 10 and 15 years.
Lirac
The Lirac Designation of Origin stretches on four villages : Lirac, Roquemaure, Saint-Laurent-les Arbres and Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas.
Classified as a « Cru » of the Rhône Valley since 1947, the Lirac appellation produces fine and fruity reds. Our white wines are both dry and fruity displaying floral aromas with freshness and mineral notes. The rosé wines are fresh and gourmet and can be perfectly paired with fish or exotic food. Our Château Saint-Roch wines fully benefit from their location close to the Rhone River, almost “feet in the water. ”
Our fine Rhône Valley selection
Vacqueyras
Structure and finesse are the main characteristics of Vacqueyras wines. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault for reds and rosés, Grenache blanc, Clairette Bourboulenc for whites offer a wide variety of wines from a very complex terroir with cooler exposures and different soils than those of its neighbour Gigondas.
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Saint-Joseph
The AOC of Saint Joseph dates back from 1956 and covers around 1200 hectares. On the light soils of schist and gneiss that cover the steep hills, the Syrah is the dominant grape variety here. The red wines of Saint Joseph can be paired with red meats, grilled meats, game and mushrooms.
Cornas
The AOC of Cornas celebrates its 80th anniversary. The name Cornas means “burnt earth”, a phrase that fully reflects its terroir marked by exceptional sunshine due to the south-south-east exposure of the vineyard. The latter consists of particularly steep terraces, supported by stone walls. The red wines of Cornas have an extraordinary aging potential thanks to their strong tannins.
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Gigondas
Gigondas red wines are complex and powerful. The Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grape varieties are emblematic of this appellation. Located in the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail with a great sun exposure, the terroirs and know-how of Gigondas winemakers ensure a high quality of this appellation.
Hermitage
The Hermitage name dates back to 1937. It is one of the most prestigious appellations of the Rhone Valley, its terroir is known for its diverse soils. Sheltered from the north wind, most of the hillsides face south and enjoy excellent sunshine. Our Hermitage red wine is 100% Syrah.
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Cairanne
The Cairanne appellation has recently been upgraded Cru des Côtes-du-Rhône. Its vineyard is located under the upper village of Cairanne in the north of the Vaucluse in the Dentelles de Montmirail region, between the Aygues and the Ouvèze. Cairanne’s red wines have a high intensity and a high finesse.
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Condrieu
Condrieu appellation is exclusively a white wine region, attached to the only authorized grape variety, the Viognier. The white Condrieu has a light yellow colour and golden highlights, and displays white flowers and apricots aromas. Perfectly paired with fish from the Rhone, pike, crayfish, but also with foie gras and cheese of character.
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Crozes-Hermitage
About 1500 ha. of stony soils located on the left bank of the Northern Rhône Valley around Tain l’Hermitage, the Crozes-Hermitage appellation produces red wines based on Syrah that are fragrant, deep and fresh.
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