Le Vieux Donjon

Winemaker Profile | Rhone, France

Le Vieux Donjon was founded in 1979 by Lucien and Marie-José Michel, whose families posessed vineyards in the Chteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. Their union saw the consolidation of both families holdings, hence laying the foundation for the estate as we  now know it. Since 2008, Claire Fabre, the couple’s daughter, has been responsible for winemaking, diligently refining the Estate’s practices year after year.

The estate cultivates 15 hectares of vineyards, spread across the parcels of Pialon, Les Mourres de la Gaud, and La Marine covering all four of the soil types that exist in the appellation . The vineyards are planted to traditional varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The Estate’s vineyard holdings, which are a small-scale reflection of the diversity of the entire appellation, come together to make an Archetypal Chateauneuf. Le Vieux Donjon produces one red and one white Chateauneuf-du-Pape annually, the former being particularly renowned for its depth and elegance.

The winery focuses on traditional winemaking methods in the service of terroir transparency. The vineyards are organically farmed, and judicious picking dates always result in healthy grapes with concentration and freshness. Rather than dilute its focus with special cuvées or a Côtes du Rhône, Le Vieux Donjon has, from the outset, endeavoured to produce a single, faithful synthesis of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.