Château des Fines Roches

History of Château des Fines Roches

The story begins at the end of the 19th century, when Auguste Constantin had this remarkable residence built in the style of a medieval fortress, with cut stone and crenellated towers. Stones originally intended to conceal a cellar would thus become a true landmark of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape landscape. From 1915, the Marquis Folco de Baroncelli, a descendant of a great Florentine family and a Provençal poet, made it a crucible of the culture and tradition of the Midi, welcoming prominent figures of the Félibrige movement such as Frédéric Mistral.

In the 1930s, Louis Mousset purchased the property, along with Château Jas de Bressy and Château du Bois de la Garde. For several decades, production was essentially sold through the family's négociant business, and it was not until the mid-1970s that the estate fully refocused on its own wines. Catherine Mousset-Barrot inherited the properties in 1973, and her husband Robert Barrot managed the vineyard for nearly thirty years, with the determination to make it prosper in memory of his parents-in-law. The next generation arrived at the end of the 1990s: Gaëlle, trained in viticulture, joined the property in 1999, followed two years later by her younger sister Amélie, and then in 2005 by Frédéric Maillet, an oenologist trained in Bordeaux. Château Jas de Bressy was acquired in 2003. Today at the helm of 130 hectares spread across three estates, the fourth generation continues the adventure, complemented by a well-regarded hotel activity housed in the château itself.

Terroirs and Vines of Château des Fines Roches

The vineyard extends over forty-five hectares in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, of which approximately 80% form a single contiguous block around the château. The plots occupy the last hillsides to the south of the appellation, between Avignon and Orange, in one of the warmest zones of the southern Rhône Valley. The soil there consists of rounded pebbles on the surface, resting on a subsoil of red clay. These stones store the heat of the day and release it to the vines during the night, while the clay acts as a water reserve during dry summers.

Approximately forty hectares are planted with red grape varieties and five hectares are reserved for whites. True to the spirit of the appellation, the estate cultivates the thirteen emblematic grape varieties of the cru, with Grenache noir leading the way, accompanied by Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Counoise and other rare varieties. For the whites, one finds Grenache blanc, Clairette, Roussanne and Bourboulenc. A large part of the vineyard is a century old or close to it, with plots of Grenache and Mourvèdre exceeding eighty years of age, a guarantee of natural concentration and low yields. The vines are trained in gobelet, a traditional form that protects the bunches from drought and offers good resistance to the mistral. The management of the vineyard is certified within an environmental approach, with plot-by-plot work adapted to the original grape variety composition of each block.

Vinifications at Château des Fines Roches

The blends vary according to the grape varieties specific to each plot cultivated, which gives the estate's wines their particularly complex bouquet. Each grape variety is vinified separately, in temperature-controlled tanks, with measured extractions designed to preserve the fruit and suppleness of the material rather than to seek maximum power.

Ageing takes place in the château's cellars, between tanks, century-old large oak casks and oak barrels. The classic cuvées benefit from a mixed ageing of around twelve months between tank and barrel, which preserves the freshness of the fruit while adding body and length. The prestige cuvées spend fourteen to sixteen months in barrel, with oak carefully dosed, and frequently praised for its elegance by critics. Each grape variety receives tailored treatment: Grenache favours large oak casks and tanks, while Syrah and Mourvèdre find their balance in barriques. This patience in ageing explains the silky texture and the fifteen-to-twenty-year ageing potential of the estate's finest bottles.

The cuvées of Château des Fines Roches

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Château des Fines Roches Rouge: the traditional cuvée, the one that built the château's reputation. Crafted from nineteen hectares spread across the three main terroirs of the appellation, it brings together the thirteen emblematic grape varieties of the cru, with Grenache leading the way. After a twelve-month mixed ageing between tank and barrel, it displays an intense garnet colour, a nose of delicate spices and ripe dark fruits (blackberry, black cherry), and a palate of great suppleness, with round texture and fine, silky tannins. Ready to drink upon release, it pairs ideally with braised meats and game dishes such as hare or wild boar stew.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Château des Fines Roches Blanc: sourced from the estate's five hectares of white grape varieties, this white Châteauneuf-du-Pape stands out for its highly expressive and complex aromatic profile, both floral and fruity. Pear, pineapple, fennel and a hint of acacia honey unfold on a mineral and refined palate of superb balance. Floral aromas dominate in the first two years before evolving towards more complex registers. To be enjoyed in its youth or cellared for a few years.

Cuvée Fines Roches Rouge: the prestige cuvée of the estate, produced only in the most promising vintages and limited to approximately 6,000 bottles. It comes from just two hectares, selected from vines of eighty to ninety years old, with an atypical and perfectly balanced blend of one third Grenache, one third Syrah and one third Mourvèdre. Aged for fourteen to sixteen months in barrel, it displays an intense and deep ruby colour, dominant aromas of red fruits and spices supported by vanilla notes, and a palate combining roundness, structure and finesse. Its ageing potential reaches fifteen to twenty years, during which it develops superb notes of cocoa and vanilla, magnificent alongside coq au vin or a chocolate dessert.

Cuvée Fines Roches Blanc: the prestige white expression, sourced from a rigorous selection of the finest plots of white grape varieties and carefully aged in oak. Ample, deep and long, it is a rare bottle, crafted for gastronomy and for several years of cellaring.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Château Jas de Bressy: the neighbouring property, acquired in 2003 by the family, whose name evokes in Provençal the ancient shepherd's refuge. This Châteauneuf-du-Pape is born from a 4.5-hectare plot planted with 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre, on vines averaging eighty years old. The Grenache is aged in large oak casks, the Syrah and Mourvèdre in barrels for eighteen months. A fine and elegant nose of lightly vanilla-tinged fruits, an ample, powerful and silky palate, with fifteen to twenty years of ageing potential. A white Jas de Bressy, even more limited in production, completes the range.

Château du Bois de la Garde: the third family estate, seventy hectares around a Provençal bastide in Sorgues, four kilometres from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It produces Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages in red, white and rosé, for approximately 300,000 bottles of red and 40,000 of rosé per year. The red seduces with its deep colour, a nose dominated by raspberry, and a rich, well-balanced palate that is as elegant as it is structured and delicate.

Château La Sousto Rouge: the most daring cuvée of the house, flavourful and singular, conceived as a step aside within the Vignobles Mousset-Barrot range and available in large formats for those who love to share.