The ancient vineyard of Châteauneuf-du-Pape became world famous when the Popes settled in Avignon in 1350. It later became the first French appellation d’origine contrôlée in 1933 under the influence of Baron Le Roy. Lying in the heart of this illustrious appellation, the 14th-century Domaine des Sénéchaux is among the region’s oldest wineries. It gets its name from one of the estate’s principal plots, located in the “Bois Sénéchaux” neighborhood.

The plots are composed of quartzite pebbles and have a south-westerly aspect. There are 3 types of sub-soil : 8 ha of slopes and half-slopes, stony limestone-clay; 11 ha of molasse and safre (sandy limestone); 3 ha of deep sandy soil.

2017 was a very particular year with low rainfall (less than 300 mm), significant heat from May onwards, and delicate flowering. Budding occurred very early in mid-March, followed by a significantly cooler early May during the flowering period, resulting in significant fruit drop across the board and particularly for Grenache Noir. This was an early vintage, around eight days before the average. In late summer, ripening progressed slowly but steadily, as there was a low level of water stress despite the lack of rain. Harvests want perfectly and were completed between 5 and 27 September.

An intense and expressive nose offering up youthful aromas dominated by fresh fruit (raspberry and cherry), delicately spiced and enhanced by an oaky note. Ample, fresh and fruity on the palate combining ripe red fruit with blackcurrant, raspberry and jammy sour cherry notes. Well-balanced structure revealing spicy flavors (licorice, pepper). Soft resin notes and a touch of oak give the wine beautiful complexity. Fine tannins ensure a smooth, very harmonious texture in the finish.

Work in the vat-room proceeded at a regular pace through the vatting period. There was some running off early in the vatting period, and cap punching later. This year, special attention was paid to controlling the temperature of vats throughout the winemaking process.