Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine de la Solitude 1998

For more than 150 years the Domaine de la Solitude was a convent on the edge of the Landes region. It is thanks to Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, a priest in the diocese of Bordeaux who acquired the property in 1820, that it has become what it is today: a wine-making property open to Catholics and atheists alike. In 1993, Olivier Bernard, the owner of the Domaine de Chevalier, took on the Domaine de la Solitude on a 40-year lease.
With a contiguous plot of over 30 hectares, the vineyard features sandy-gravel soil over a compact layer of clay subsoil. A huge replanting programme was initiated with the arrival of Olivier Bernard in order to work with grape varieties that were better suited to the land. The 25 hectares devoted to red wine would thus eventually be replanted with traditional Bordeaux varieties in the following proportions: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The 7 hectares for white wine were to be planted with 40% Sémillon and 60% Sauvignon Blanc.