Chateau De Vaudieu

One of the many ways to misunderstand Chateauneuf-du-Pape is to think it is a terroir dominated by one soil type. When asked to picture the typical vineyard in the village, one immediately has the image of galets. While this is an important terroir in the region, it is only one of nearly a dozen different soil types. Some producers make wines from a single specific terroir while others blend from several. This is just as important a factor in how the final wines taste as how they are made. Perhaps no better estate proves this than Chateau de Vaudieu.

Located about a five minute drive outside the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape along the road which leads to Courthezon you will find Chateau de Vaudieu. It is one of three 18th century Chateaux located in the appellation, tucked into a small valley surrounded by hills and plateau. It is at the intersection of several major terroirs: sandy soils to the north, along a border it shares with Chateau Rayas (one of the best wines in Chateauneuf-du-Pape but not actually a Chateau), pale limestone and clays centered around a forested hillock, and two large plateaux of the somewhat overexposed galets. In total there are 70 hectares within one contiguous estate – something very rare in the appellation.