"Châteauneuf du Pape" Châteauneuf-du-Pape by lonestar_philomath

In January 1999 I drove my Honda civic From Zurich, Switzerland to Souston, France. I had read much about the Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine so I decided to stop in the town on my way to Avignon. The ruins of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape castle are easy to get to and was still free admittance when I took my pictures.

I stopped at Domaine des Sénéchaux in town. I enjoyed imbibing the wine and ended up purchasing six bottles. I paid about $10 a bottle. Five years later I purchased a bottle of this same wine in the United States for $35 dollars! Domaine des Sénéchaux is one of the oldest domaines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape region with a history tracing back to the 14th century.

In the 14th century Pope Jean XXII chose Chateauneuf as the location for a summer residences. The Pope decided to plant vines on the stony land of their landholdings. For a long time the wine production remained secret, but became well known in the 18th century. It was not until 1929 that the area was officially recognized and bestowed with it's own appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This appellation means that the wine production in Chateauneuf du Pape is subject to strict controls ensuring the 55 vineyards produce extremely fine wines.