The original site of Château Signac was first planted to vines over 2,000 years ago. The hard, stony soils made wine growing difficult – even as recently as 1961 the estate farmed only 10 acres.

In 1989 Jean-Marc Amez-Droz and his family, along with a group of interested partners bought the estate. This “team,” as they refer to themselves, began a long process of replanting, and brought the farming into lutte raisonée, without herbicides.

The vines are a perfectly “proportional” mix of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Counoise. Yields are quite low for the region (25-30hl/ha) from the vines which now average 35 years-old.

The Cuvée Combe d’Enfer offers a perfect window to the unique terroir of the Dente de Signac; warm, red fruit, with spice and garrigue aromatics – perfect for grilled meats and rack of lamb.

Regional History

Phocaean Greeks established viticulture in the Rhône as far back as 600 BC, but until the 14th century the wines were not seen outside the region. The establishment of the Avignonese Papacy (1305-1377) brought fame to the region’s wine – so much so that their Burgundian neighbors to the north banned wines from the Rhône in 1446, a measure that effectively cut off trade with England and other Northern European markets for over 200 years.

Stretching southward from Lyon to Avignon, the Côtes du Rhône produces a wide variety of wines, with the appellations north of Valence producing the least (in volume), and the towns south of Montélimar producing prodigious amounts. As in other regions, the most interesting wines come from small farms.

The AOC Côtes-du-Rhône-Village Chusclan was originally planted by Roman centurions nearly 2000 years ago. The vines were farmed and protected by Benedictine monks for nearly a thousand years before the French Revolution. In the 18th century, the Village of Chusclan established its own “appellation controlée” by banning the import of wines from outside the region – so convinced were they of the qualities of their terroir.

Regional Foods

The marvelously varied cuisine of Provence and the Southern Rhône is defined – but not limited – by its geography. Proximity to the sea and the mountains often results in plates that combine fish and meat and produce, along with the ubiquitous olive tree.

Two classic regional dishes reflect this diversity: brandade melds salt cod, potatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh cream; bouillabaisse brings together local fish such as racasse, langoustine, skate, and squid, plus sausages, served in saffron-scented stews. Abundant game adorns restaurant menus: boar, duck, antelope, and rabbit (often as rillettes ) are common plats du jour.

Game birds like capon and pigeon are roasted with the wide variety of local herbs. Lamb, also a staple, sometimes appears in form of lamb à la ficelle, a leg hung by rope over an open flame. Anchovies from Collioure are eaten grilled and served with rosé. The distinctive olive oils produced here are blended with fresh olives and herbs to make tapenade.

© 2011 Moore Brothers Wine Company

Christian Barrot has worked his 30-acre estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape for nearly 50 of the 300 years the property has been in the family. Spread over the northern end of the appellation, the estate includes parcels of old Grenache originally planted in the late 19th Century.

The largest single holding is 8-1/2 acres in the lieu-dit, Grand Pierre, a stony hillside next to the lieu-dit, Rayas.

Christian’s son, Julien, who studied oenology in Bordeaux and Australia, took over the winemaking and viticulture in 2002, bringing biodynamic practices to the farming.

In most vintages, three cuvées are made from the various parcels. The Reserve brings a part of each site to a final blend which perfectly showcases the domaine. The ripe, plush character of the fruit is a gift of the extraordinary 2005 harvest. Barrot, père et fils, are considered among the most attentive farmers in Châteauneuf.

Regional History
The history of Châteauneuf-du-Pape begins in1309 when the French-born Pope Clement V moved the Roman Curia to Avignon and built the New Home of the Pope in the commune of Calcernier north of the city. Clement’s successor, John XXll is credited with establishing the Papal vineyards surrounding the castle.

Until the 19th Century, wines from the town were sold simply as vin d’Avignon until reference to Papal history proved lucrative, and the reputation of “Châteauneuf-du-Pape-Calcernier” rose to match that of Hermitage in the northern Rhône.

Phylloxera attacked in the 1870s, and replanting led to fraud, which, paradoxically, led to the beginnings of a strong reform movement that became the basis for the French system of Appellation Contrôlée.

The appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape allows, in red wines, thirteen different grape varieties and, in white wines, five different grape varieties, all produced under a series of strict regulations. Curiously, one local regulation prohibits the landing of Cigares Volant, or “flying saucers”, which were reportedly seen hovering over the vineyards from time to time.

Regional Foods
The marvelously varied cuisine of Provence and the Southern Rhône is defined – but not limited – by its geography. Proximity to the sea and the mountains often results in plates that combine fish and meat and produce, along with the ubiquitous olive tree.

Two classic regional dishes reflect this diversity: brandade melds salt cod, potatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh cream; bouillabaisse brings together local fish such as racasse, langoustine, skate, and squid, plus sausages, served in saffron-scented stews.

Abundant game adorns restaurant menus: boar, duck, antelope, and rabbit (often as rillettes) are common plats du jour. Game birds like capon and pigeon are roasted with the wide variety of local herbs.

Lamb, also a staple, sometimes appears in form of lamb a la ficelle, a leg hung by rope over an open flame. Anchovies from Collioure are eaten grilled and served with rosé.

The distinctive olive oils produced here are blended with fresh olives and herbs to make tapenade.

© Moore Brothers Wine Company