A chalky-clay soil covered for the most part with round pebbles (alpine diluvium). The pebbles hold the heat of the day and diffuse it to the vine stock during the night. This is an arid earth where the vine roots have to go down very deep to find the elements that they need to survive. The climate is very important; very little rain, a mistral wind that is often violent and which cleans up and allows for a good concentration of grapes at harvest time, plus an exceptional amount of sunlight (an average 1000 hours of sunshine in summer – 7 hours at 25°C).

An emblematic land of Châteauneuf du Pape, Font de Michelle is made up of many place names: Font de Michelle, La Crau, La Pierre Plantée, Chartreuse, Croix de bois. As the archives state, Font de Michelle had been planted with vines under Napoleon 1st and certainly well before. Numerous Roman pottery shards and amphorae found on the site lie in silent witness.

The vines in this Cuvée are, on average, 45 years old. The blend of grape varieties consists of: 70% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% other grape types such as Cinsault, Counoise, Terret or Muscardin. The fermentation process is traditional. The wine is matured in large old barrels called “foudres” and smaller-size oak fûts, or casks that are used for only 2 to 5 wine maturations. The resulting wine can be left to age for a long time.

Dense purple color with violet notes. A complex and intense nose of matured grapes, minerals and touches of wild herbs. The wine is full-bodied and rich on the palate with fine tannins. Big fruit flavors (blackberry and blueberry) through the taste with a very long finish. This is a stunning wine that should be drunk after four or five years of aging to properly appreciate its depth and complexity of flavors.