Isabel Ferrando – the winemaker behind Domaine Saint-Préfert – is among the stars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As she as soon as extra tears up the rulebook to relaunch her wines beneath Famille Isabel Ferrando, we sat down together with her to speak about her journey to this point, and why she believes Châteauneuf-du-Pape is among the most enjoyable wine areas on the earth right now
Châteauneuf-du-Pape has an extended historical past, turning into the brand new house for the Pope within the 14th century, however its status as a wine area is relatively quick. Though it’s France’s oldest appellation (the primary to be formally categorised in 1923), the wines solely actually gained notoriety within the second half of the twentieth century. Extra lately, its full-bodied, fruity type discovered attraction amongst American critics – specifically Robert Parker, who helped enhance its following throughout the Atlantic. However, regardless of the success of estates reminiscent of Château Rayas, there may be little fanfare across the area.
Isabel Ferrando’s dynamism, subsequently, is a refreshing change. Her story is considered one of revolution quite than evolution. With each step in her profession, she has made daring selections – selections which have introduced vital consideration, reward and a legion of followers. For her, such an strategy aligns neatly with the philosophy of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. “The one restrict is to respect the appellation. That’s the solely restrict,” says Ferrando. With 13 permitted varieties (or 22 should you depend each white and pink grapes) and 5 very completely different, distinct soils, numerous expressions of the appellation are potential – and, for her, because of this it’s a really trendy appellation. Everyone seems to be given the liberty to “paint their image”.
Though the area is likely to be well-known for its galets roulés (massive spherical pebbles that mirror warmth and add to ripeness), this is only one of its terroirs. “There are 5 completely different soils in Châteauneuf – chalk, limestone, clay, sand, galet stones that every have a robust affect on the appellation,” she explains. “There’s one singularity,” she admits, “and that’s a whole lot of fruit.” She feels that Châteauneuf is united by its “fruity however critical” profile – nonetheless, past that, there may be unimaginable selection – from extra floral to darker, extra savory types.
“The vines on clay produce a fatness within the wine. The sandy soils carry a silky texture and tenderness to the tannins. The chalk offers a sensation of powder,” she says, highlighting how every soil kind contributes to the ultimate wine – offering a palette for any winemaker to provide a wine that matches their sensibility.
This freedom made the area an ideal match for Ferrando – who determined to surrender her job in banking to turn into a winemaker 20 years in the past. Then a brand new mom, she initially thought that being her personal boss would enable her to spend extra time together with her household. That didn’t truly occur, she admits, “However once you turn into a mom or father, you turn into another person – you have a look at life otherwise. I wished to return to nature,” she says. “I didn’t wish to elevate my daughter in a metropolis. I used to be born within the countryside, and I wanted that for my daughter.”
After coaching for a 12 months in Gigondas beneath Dominique Ay (at Domaine Raspail-Ay), she discovered a domaine on the market in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and jumped on the alternative. She may need been new to the area, a lady in a male-dominated trade with no background in winemaking, however that wasn’t going to place her off. Fortuitously, she made some good buddies – most notably the late legendary Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer Henri Bonneau who was instrumental within the institution of Domaine Saint-Préfert.
When she arrived, the vineyards weren’t in fine condition, with many vines diseased and in want of replanting. Historically, producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape mix plots collectively to seize the complexities of the completely different soils and varieties and many others. However, if she was to make a wine of high quality, this was not potential for Ferrando. So she recognized one of the best plots and bottled these individually (as her Réserve Auguste Favier and Assortment Charles Giraud cuvées), whereas she set about replanting the remainder of the vineyards. The younger fruit from her new vines was devoted to her Cuvée Classique Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Single-vineyard bottlings have been fairly a radical transfer within the appellation – however such was the standard of those low-production, old-vine bottlings that Ferrando’s wines quickly earned recognition. She went additional to problem conference within the area, crafting three varietal wines in a area that was constructed on blends.
These cuvées – a Clairette (Cuvée Spéciale Vieilles Clairettes), Cinsault (Cuvée F601) and Grenache (Cuvée Colombis) bottling – are outstanding wines. There isn’t any different 100% Cinsault produced in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.“The Cinsault is totally good in Saint-Préfert,”, says Ferrando. “Nowhere else in Châteauneuf-du-Pape do you get these floral aromas.” She describes the grape because the Pinot Noir of the Rhône. Manufacturing is tiny – restricted to only 800 bottles a 12 months – and it’s not low cost at about $600 a bottle. However, for these fortunate sufficient to style it, it’s beguiling. The Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski rated it as his prime discovery of 2020.
Her 100% Clairette is one other oddity for Châteauneuf-du-Pape and nearly as uncommon. Solely bottled in magnums (800 a 12 months) – this can be a wine that Ferrando believes can age 50 years or extra. “Clairette is my imaginative and prescient of white wine within the Southern Rhône.” She needs to counter the declare that white Châteauneuf-du-Pape is fats and fruity. “With Clairette, you may produce very recent and deep wines,” she says, “it offers a whole lot of freshness, rigidity and salinity to the whites.” The wine was impressed by her mentor Henri Bonneau, who satisfied Ferrando to bottle these 80-year-old vines individually. Within the early days of Saint-Préfert, Ferrando invited Bonneau to a feast of tête de veau – and Bonneau arrived with a magnum of an unlabelled white wine. Through the meal, Bonneau began to cry – he informed Ferrando that the wine was the final bottle from the cellar made by his father – a 1947 100% Clairette – displaying how nicely good Clairette might age. “It was a really particular second,” notes Ferrando. The wine was extremely recent and in good situation. He requested Ferrando once more to create one other 100% Clairette – like his father’s.
The primary classic was 2009. As soon as the wine was picked and fermented, Bonneau would come to the vineyard, style the wine and demand she not bottle the wine but. It was not prepared. “It was dangerous,” says Ferrando, “however he insisted.” After 18 months she might maintain off not and bottled it. Tasting the wine, she was amazed by its rigidity. It was particular. The primary magnum of each classic was given to Bonneau as a thanks.
After 20 years in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Ferrando is among the appellation’s brightest stars. However she hasn’t stopped difficult the established order. After constructing some of the celebrated manufacturers within the appellation, Ferrando overhauled her vary in 2020 – discontinuing many wines and altering the property’s identify to Famille Isabel Ferrando. Few individuals would have the center to take such an opportunity, however a meditative interval over Covid-19, the loss of life of her husband and the evolution of her vineyards all prompted her subsequent radical change. “The resistance of individuals to vary is obvious, it’s snug to remain the identical,” she admits. However, for Ferrando, she needed to change.
Over 20 years, she’d nurtured her vineyards again to well being, her younger vines had reached maturity and her biodynamic farming had introduced biodiversity again into her vineyards. “The vineyards modified and so the wines needed to change too,” she explains. Ferrando now had the standard of fruit to have the ability to produce a single, flagship Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvée – a wine that represented her terroir and her winemaking type. Whereas she nonetheless produces her Vieilles Clairettes, F601 Cinsault and Colombis cuvées, she has sacrificed her top-scoring Auguste Favier and Charles Giraud reds to provide what she feels is a real illustration of her property and sensibility. The wine captures her obsession with freshness, balanced with focus – taking part in with the completely different textural qualities of her soils and varieties. With this refreshed focus from the 2020 classic, Ferrando determined to bottle the wines beneath Famille Isabel Ferrando – trusting that her clients will observe the wines beneath this new identify.
Ferrando’s daughter appears to have inherited her mom’s revolutionary strategy. At 22, she determined to desert her enterprise research to deal with a level in viticulture in Beaune – to the entire shock of her mom. Whereas at the moment her daughter is studying about winemaking at a number of the finest estates around the globe (together with on the likes of Domaine Roulot, Eisele Winery, Mullineux and extra), she has already had an affect at Saint-Préfert. It was beneath her steering that Ferrando employed a younger agronomist engineer who has been planting bushes and cereal crops within the vineyards to enhance biodiversity. Ferrando is clearly excited– nonetheless spurred on by change, regardless of her success.
Tasting the brand new wines from Famille Isabel Ferrando is a superb expertise. We have been among the many first to style the 2021 classic. The white Châteauneuf-du-Pape is divine – providing such lovely freshness, salinity and depth, with a finesse that I can’t keep in mind tasting from the area. And the reds, even at such a younger age, already style so balanced, pure and refined. Ferrando is likely to be a radical and trendy vigneron, however her wines are timeless.
-Gavin Smith
