Château Mont-Redon

In 1344, “Mourredon”, part of the Pope’s land holdings, was officially recognised as a vineyard. In the middle of the 18th Century, the nobleman Joseph Ignace d’Astier, a lawyer with a doctorate in Law from Avignon, acquired Mont-Redon. The Mathieu family, descendants of the Astiers, then took ownership. Anselme Mathieu, who called himself the “Marquis of Mont-Redon”, ran the domaine until his mother, Claire Mathieu, died, causing the inheritance to be split up amongst her children. At the same time, in 1866, phylloxera ravaged the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards.

In 1923, Henri Plantin took over Mont-Redon and its 2.5 hectares of vines spread out across the appellation. He worked on grouping together as many parcels as possible, and had the foresight to plant on the wide open plateau, with its rocky soil and forest patches, never before cultivated, that looks over the Château. Alive with the same passion for their work, always in quest of the highest quality terroirs and the grape varieties that are best adapted to them, Henri Plantin’s descendants continue to search out the best pieces of land with which to ensure the domaine’s growth.

For four generations, in the middle of their vines and through the centuries, the family has continually enhanced its wine-making knowledge, always in pursuit of greater quality. Today, Château Mont-Redon owns 186 hectares in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, of which 100 are planted with vines. In 1980, another domaine was acquired in the Côtes du Rhône, and in 1997, one in Lirac.

We produce wines from three appellations in the southern Rhône valley: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Lirac and Côtes du Rhône. Thirteen grape varieties (white and red) can be used to make a Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine. We cultivate and vinify all thirteen. The Lirac and Côtes du Rhône are made with two, three or four varieties. Grenache (red or white) is the predominant grape in all blends.

Such a large and high quality palette of grapes allows us to create subtle relationships between them, always in the goal of producing wines that are perfectly harmonious and balanced, with great complexity. These blends are the reflection of our terroir and of our own personality.

Red grapes are harvested when physiological ripeness, the balance between sugars and acidity, has been reached. Phenolic maturity, specific to red grapes, is also sought after as it guarantees high quality tannins. We aim for both kinds of ripeness when we pick, meaning that harvesting can last over a period of 12 to 14 days. Grapes are vinified in tanks equipped with four cylinders that punch down the solid part of the must into the liquid part. This pigeage technique extracts the finest tannins from the skins.

In its modern form, it automates the work that our ancestors used to do with their feet. Fermentation temperatures are recorded regularly and kept at between 28°C. Once alcoholic fermentation has finished, wines are sorted based on tasting; their grouping is confirmed by laboratory analysis after two or three weeks. Malolactic fermentation follows. One quarter of our barrels are replaced every year. About half of the total Châteauneuf-du-Pape volume is aged in barrel for twelve months, and between 35 and 40% of the total Lirac volume ages in barrel for ten months. Wines are then blended and are left to settle for at least another three months before being bottled.