Lot presentation

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine Font de Michelle Famille Gonnet 1998

The wine

This is the flagship cuvée of the domain, made from its best plots, namely the localities of Montalivet, La Crau, Bois Dauphin and Pied de Baud. The very old vines of Grenache are located there. The vats are filled using gravity and the harvest is destemmed at about 60%. Vinification occurs "pre-blending", that is to say that the three grape varieties (Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah) ferment together, aiming at creating harmony as soon as vatting takes place. Maximum extraction takes place but the ageing process will aim to make the tannins fresh thanks to the slow oxygenation operating through the pores of the foudres and demi-muid barrels. Thanks to this careful process, ageing potential can reach twenty years. When drinking, the fruit is exuberant, the substance is dense and tannins are robust.

About the Producer Font de Michelle

Domaine Font de Michelle was founded in 1880 thanks to Jean Etienne Gonnet but its current incarnation is down to his grandson Etienne Gonnet who, in 1950, took on the 30 hectares of vines situated in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. From 1975, his sons Jean and Michel took over the domaine with a mission to improve vinification methods and produce richer, more concentrated wines that retained their elegance. Things are still a family affair thanks to the baton being passed down to their respective sons, Bertrand and Guillaume. 2002 marked a turning point in the domaine's history: the family acquired parcels in the Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages appellations. For more than 20 years, the domaine has adopted an environmentally friendly philosophy towards winemaking. Organic compost is used instead of fertilizers and the soil is tilled with a plough.

Detailed characteristics