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Domaine la Roquette

The Domaine de la Roquette was acquired by the Brunier family, best associated with Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, in 1986. The estate was sold by the previous proprietor, René Laugier, to Henri Brunier, who subsequently handed it onto his sons, Daniel and Frederic. Since taking control of Roquette the family have been determinedly raising quality, with perhaps the most notable development being the construction of new cellars in 1998. The winery itself is located very near the town centre of Châteauneuf itself, although the vineyards are scattered across the southern parts of the Rhône Valley.

The grand vin here is the red Domaine la Roquette, sourced from 32 hectares of vines, half of which are on the Plateau du Pielong, a further 30% are comprised of a number of hillside plots dotted around the appellation, and 20% in the Pignan district, northeast of the town of Châteauneuf itself. The soils obviously vary across the three main sites, although they are largely characterised by sand and stones, sometimes the thick, heavy galets roules, the large rounded stones which originated in the Alps to the east, and which were transported on floodwaters from the hills across lower lands in Châteauneuf, and across southern France. The vines have an average age of 38 years, and typically produce a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. The fruit is harvested by hand and sorted twice in the vineyard, before pressing and destemming in the cellar. It is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, where it undergoes malolactic fermentation, before going into concrete tanks for the first nine months, followed by ten months in large oak foudres, up to 70 hectolitres capacity. It is a process that bears an unsurprising resemblance to the practices at the Brunier's flagship winery, Vieux Télégraphe. The wine is typically bottled at 19 months of age.

Meanwhile the white Domaine la Roquette comes from a 3 hectare vineyard with similar sandy soils, over a red clay, over a bedrock of friable stone known locally as pierre de Châteauneuf. The fruit, equal portions of Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc and Clairette from 15 year old vines, is picked by hand, sorted, pressed and then fermented mostly in stainless steel tanks, with just 20% of the crop vinified in oak barrique. It is aged in the fermentation vessels for seven months before bottling. There is also a Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Le Pigeoulet, sourced from 3 hectares alongside the Rhône, dominated by the sand and clay that typifies these alluvial soils, and from 7 hectares of more stony, less fertile sites in Caromb, on the slopes of Mount Ventoux. The vines, which have about twenty years behind them, give a blend dominated by Grenache, accounting for 80%, with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah and 5% Cinsaut. The harvest is both manual and mechanical, before destemming and fermentation in concrete vats with temperature control. The wine then rests here for four months, with five months in large foudres following that, then bottling. There is also a Pigeoulet Rosé, made from equal proportions of Grenache and Cinsaut.

I have tasting experience of the red grand vin from this estate in a handful of vintages. The wines do not have the gravity of Vieux Télégraphe, they are more fruit-forward, but they would appear to be of good quality. Without the necessary context it is not possible to make a comparison with the Roquette of old, under Laugier, but all reports suggest that quality has been on the up. My tasting notes are included below; note that in more recent vintages the Bruniers have reverted to the original name for the property, Roquète. (5/6/07)

Contact details:
Address: Vignobles Brunier, 84370 Bédarrides
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 90 33 00 31
Fax: +33 (0) 4 90 33 18 47
Internet: www.brunier.fr

Domaine la Roquette - Tasting Notes

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Domaine la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc 2006: Rather papery on the nose, with some lemon fruit, and a little sherbet. It is rather dumb though, giving only gentle hints of these aromas. Soft and fleshy on the palate, rather moderate acidity I feel, well rounded, lots of substance and texture here, not so much in the way of structure and grip to support it. There comes a sudden flourish of flavour revealed on the finish which has appeal and suggests good potential here. A score that may well improve, I think. From a Vignobles Brunier tasting. 16+/20 (November 2007)

Domaine la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2005: The contrast with the 2004 vintage is fascinating. Here we have a wine showing more depth, with a animalistic, savage edge to the nose. The palate has a nice weight and is well composed, rather fuller and fatter than the wine from the preceding year but there is a good seam of acidity underneath the wild cherry fruit to balance it out. There is a good grip too, especially through the finish. This is still rather tight, but it has very fine potential. From a Vignobles Brunier tasting. 17-17.5+/20 (November 2007)

L'Accent de la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2005: An old vines cuvée from Domaine la Roquette. This seems quite closed down on the nose, giving nothing on which I can comment. The palate is soft and textured, with a supple style. It has a rounded, creamy nature with lots of very ripe tannins underneath. It has a firm, savage character and there is certainly lots of impact here, helped by an appropriate seam of acidity. It is not possible to judge definitively in this state, but the structure of the wine suggests there is plenty to come yet here. From a Vignobles Brunier tasting. 17-17.5+/20 (November 2007)

Domaine la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2004: Sweet, herby, charred Grenache fruit, with a little vein of Demerara sugar sweetness. A nice substance on the palate, texture and mid-weight, rather elegant in fact, with an appealing, composed definition. Ripe tannins provide the grip and backbone. Very good, but one for the cellar in my opinion. From a 2008 Lay & Wheeler tasting. 16.5+/20 (November 2008)

Domaine la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2004: Bright cherry fruit on the nose with a fine, mineral character and an attractive darkness to it. A full impression on the palate, a touch sweet, not very well focused, although there is a nice little bitter grip to the finish. Rather gentle style, with cherry-herby Grenache fruit, rather feminine, but it has a good style. 16+/20 (November 2006)

Domaine la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2004: This has a settled nose, gentle in character, showing a little meaty fruit with a vein of cherry. The palate has a fine composition, with some similar cherry fruit character tinged with cough-candy sweetness. Underneath there is a rather dry, tannic structure but with this a nice freshness, acidity and overall it maintains a good presence in the mouth. This is really good. From a Vignobles Brunier tasting. 16.5+/20 (November 2007)

L'Accent de la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2004: An old vines cuvée, with some sweet dense cherry fruit. Rather shy, but clearly lovely character here. Richer and more mineral than the main cuvée, more depth but more style too. Nicely balanced, with good grip and an appealing bitter cherry-stone note. Excellent. 18+/20 (November 2006)

Domaine la Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2003: Not too densely coloured, considering the vintage. A deep, evocative nose. Profoundly rich in fruit, with a typical cherry pie character. A fairly nice style on the palate, with firm tannins although not the huge wall that some wines show, until the finish when there is a huge, mouth-puckering presence. Putting this to one side, a good wine. But how will those tannins evolve? 16+?/20 (November 2006)

Domaine la Roquette Châteauneuf du Pape 2000: A wine from the Bruniers, best known for their work at Vieux Télégraphe, this has a maturing hue, with good, gamey, spicy aromas on the nose, with element of stewed meat, a touch of violet and strawberry fruit too. The palate carries a nice weight, with a creamy-polished texture but with a stony freshness. It has a nice substance, a dry extract at the core, but it is ripe, with a little touch of sweetness and attractive midpalate power. Mature, pickled fruit aromatics, a touch rustic, complete the picture. This is appealing, but is a touch foursquare, and certainly not elegant or ethereal. Nice wine though, fresh, alive and with some good potential. From a 2000 Southern Rhône tasting. 16+/20 (September 2009)

Domaine la Roquette Châteauneuf du Pape 2000: Sweet, smoky, fried cherry notes. Classic style here. Full texture. Nice weight. Sweet cherry notes, slightly medicinal. Ripe tannic structure, good acidity, creamy. This is good. Needs 3-4 years. From a Lay & Wheeler tasting. 16.5+/20 (May 2005)