Château de Montfrin

The Château de Montfrin has been an important site for centuries, and always played host to travelers and statesman including Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint-Louis, Louis XIII, and Molière. It has been in winemaker and owner, Jean René de Fleurieu’s family since the mid-1800’s, and he still resides there to this day. Today the château is surrounded by 200 hectares of vineyards and olive orchards which are all farmed organically, an ode to good heath that Jean René is so passionate about. His passion for good ingredients shows in the finished product; delicious Rhone blends for any occasion. From the peaks of Pic st Loup to the summits of Mont Ventoux, I have always loved this country, my land of freedom, the great house and my village. Whose houses, and doors are always open and through which one enters and is greeted with kindness. I would like to pay tribute to the town saddler who took me in, who carder wool, patched mattresses, repaired the harnesses of horses and mules, children’s school satchels and told an infinite number of beautiful stories. He welcomed me in his house and his workshop and thaught me that man’ greatest treasure is his ability to enjoy life. It is he who also taught me that the best way to know a land is to cultivate it. I am forever thankful. His name was Jean Donnet." - Jean-René de Fleurieu. The great house is a beautiful house with a rich and historic past. Residing in the heart of a village she was once deemed to protect. Through out her history, many famous people have stopped by. Such as Francis of Assis, patron saint of animals, Saint Louis, Louis XIII and Moliere to name but a few of the more well known. The far mis structured between two activities : The Domaine des Captives composed of vineyards with its winemaking and the Moulin des Ombres (Mill of the Shadows) for olive oil. Owing to acquisitions, exchanges and transfers of land it extends over approximately 500 acres, of which half is grapevines and the other olive trees and arable land. Le Domaine des Captives: THE CELLAR & THE GRAPEVINE The Domaine des Captives is the activity dedicated to viticulture, winemaking and marketing of the wines we produce. The estate comprises nearly 250 acres producing wines of different appellations, Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône villages, Les Costières de Nîmes and Les Coteaux du Pont du Gard. 4 wines in 3 colors originating from a dozen different varietals of which the best known are Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Roussane, Viognier and several others. The vines grow in a hallowed farmland made up of contrasting terrain. From the vast silty soils of the plains along the majestic Rhone to the sunny hillsides of its banks and the stony plateaus of it’s now abandoned river beds. Most of the plots are irrigated to allow the vine to resist the increasing draughts in the area. Some of the wine is hand harvested allowing for carbonic maceration bestowing a distinctive characteristic to some of our wines. The style of the estate is defined by wines which are lively and elegant, the use of little or no wood, with emphasis on the fruit and the terroir.