Domaine de La Chartreuse and its vineyards are situated in the southeastern part of Châteauneuf du Pape, near the commune of Bédarrides. The Domaine’s vines begin on the southern section of the famous “La Crau” plateau and stretch downwards. Here, the soils are dominated by the famous galets roulés, which stretch several meters into the subsoil. As the vines slope down from the plateau, the substrate dissipates gradually into limestone and iron. The East-facing plots average 30 years of age and are all harvested by hand and vinified separately. The grapes are fully destemmed, crushed, and fermented with skins at 68°F in a mix of steel and concrete tanks. Some of these tanks are vinified completely without the addition of Sulphur, so two yeast strains are used – one to kill off the bad yeasts, and another to finish the fermentation. The wine is racked and returned four times with regular pumping over. To maximize terroir expression, there is no barrel aging.
The history of Domaine de La Chartreuse dates to the 1500s when it was owned and run by the Carthusian monks, the religious order famous for creating Chartreuse Liqueur in the 1700s. In 1961, the Domaine was purchased by the Rey family, who have managed and cared for it since. Francoise Rey is the latest generation to run the family wine business which was started in 1890. The Reys have been committed to sustainable agriculture from the start and acquired HVE3 certification in 2019. The head winemaker is Juliette Carrere. This wine is vegan friendly.