Domaine la Barroche

Domaine la Barroche is a family-owned wine producer based in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The domaine was founded in 1703 by Alexandre Barrot and today cultivates the classic southern Rhône grape varieties Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, as well as Cinsault, Clairette Blanche and Vaccarèse.

The domaine's Grenache vines date back to the first part of the 19th Century, with older grape varieties such as Terret Noir and Clairette Rose planted in the vineyard. In total, Domaine la Barroche encompasses 15 hectares (36 acres) of vines planted across the northern and northeastern sections of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation.

The grapes are cultivated on a variety of vineyard plots including Les Terres Blanches, Les Cabrières and Grand Pierre. In these plots, sandy topsoils overlie deeper layers of limestone, with other plots occupying soils of red clay, riverbed stones and red sandstone.

The flagship Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine is a blend of mainly Grenache grapes hand-harvested from 100-year-old vines, as well as smaller quantities of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsaut. Each variety is vinified and aged separately: Grenache in old oak casks, Mourvèdre and Syrah in contact with their lees in barrel and Cinsaut in stainless steel tanks. This aging period takes approximately 18 months and the wine undergoes no filtration before being bottled.

The domaine's second label, Pure, is made from a single plot of 100-year-old vines and is so-named for its specific terroir and dominant grape variety (97 percent Grenache). Domaine la Barroche also makes a third wine, Fiancée, a 50:50 blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes aged for approximately 18 months in a combination of Burgundy barrels and concrete vats.