A Wine Trip to the Southern Rhône
And a visit to the first ever French appellation.
Continuing my series for my wine tasting trip to Southern France (we’ve been to southern Burgundy and the northern Rhône) and now we complete our trip down the river. We woke up in the southern Rhône with sun gleaming through the window of our room at the Maison Orsini, with a clear view of the Palais des Papes in Avignon on the other side of the river. The view was so picturesque, I wrapped myself up in a robe and went to sit out on the patio.
Then the wind kicked in.
From the beginning of my morning until the end of my day, I felt the powerful mistral winds coming from the north. The region is well known for these powerful gusts of wind; there are many cultural references to the mistral all over, especially in Avignon. But for the people who work here, they’re rather obnoxious to deal with.
Still, I woke up with a mission of what I wanted to taste, and I had my husband packed up in the car and ready to go by 10 a.m. We arrived at Domaine de Ferrand a half hour later, and I had to remind myself in that moment that my husband has not gone wine tasting in the morning. Fresh off my diploma program, I am used to tasting wine as early as 9 a.m. But this was a new experience for him, and for the first time on the trip, I watched him use a spittoon. Is it weird that I was kind of proud in that moment?
Domaine de Ferrand is a small producer. I discovered Philippe Bravay (the winemaker) when I tried his ‘Mistral’ 2022 at Noble Rot in London last November. (Yep, the wine is named after the wind.) We popped in for probably one of the most unique tastings I’ve experienced. Intimate—it was only us and the producer and his wife on the property. But a lot of really great wines. We tasted his 2023 ‘Mistral’, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsaut, as well as the 2024 fresh from the tank. I also thoroughly enjoyed his take on Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a lot more elegant in style than what’s usually seen on the market, with jammy fruits and lots of great acidity to really balance it out. The 2021 was a show stopper; it honestly tasted like carrot cake. The tasting finished off with a special tasting of his ‘La Ferrand’ 2023, also fresh from the tank only two days after he finished blending it. (Holy what?!) Spicy, black fruits, and some hints of eucalyptus. Stunning.
The tasting took longer than expected, which is fine, but the French do take lunch seriously. So we waited the two hours and got lunch ourselves up in Orange before driving down to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape village for more wine. We popped into Le Caveau de Papes and tried five different expressions of white and red Châteauneuf. Yes, there is such a thing as white Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but only 5% of wine production within the appellation is white, so it’s rather rare. There’s lots of tropical fruits and nuttiness on the palate with a white Châteauneuf, but also some bitterness that you get from the Bourboulenc grape. I particularly enjoyed the 2021 red from Elisabeth Chambellan, one of the only producers allowed to use all of the CDP grapes in their wine and still use the region’s appellation name. So it was a blend of white and red grapes. No, that doesn’t make it a rosé—but some rosé’s are made that way.
Our last tasting was at Maison Brotte where we tried five different cuvées, but the one to note is the 2010 ‘La Fiole’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape, bottled in their special shape to—again—represent the Mistral winds, like the wind is pushing the bottle. This wine has all of the classic aged elements you desire in an old wine. It tasted like Christmas—spices, pine, and sticky toffee pudding.
Maybe it was the sun, the romantic (er, aggressive) Mistral winds, or the medieval castles surrounding the area, but the region just seemed like it glowed a golden hue. The yellow daffodils covering the fields with the old vines, even when the vines were bare, just made this particular part of the region feel extra special. Which makes sense—these wines are special, averaging around $80 to $90 a bottle back at home.
But Domaine de Ferrand sold me a bottle for €8…and I watched him put the label on it.
Then the rest of the day was spent exploring Avignon, and then back to the hotel to finish a bottle before bed.
Wine of the week
We tasted a lot of excellent wines that week, but I would be fooling myself if I didn’t choose an all-time favorite. This is the Mistral, 2023, a Cotes-du-Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, and Cinsault. This is from Domaine de Ferrand.
Honestly, if you see his wine in general (his labels are unique, you can’t miss them), snag it. Trust me. We have one in the shop right now and I’ve almost sold us out. 🙃
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Ruby color with a deep intensity
Nose: Jammy red fruits, no oak, herbs, juicy, earthy, well balanced
Palate: High acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, medium body
My conclusion: A joyful surprise on the palate, with notes of jammy red fruits, herbs, and a touch of earthiness. A bold and unique wine coming from one of the most famous wine regions in the world.