Domaine Font de Courtedune, Courthézon
Brother and sister, Frédéric and Caroline Charrier run this domaine, with Frédéric in the vines and Beaune-educated Caroline in the winery. Their vines lie on the Rayas / Courthézon side of Châteauneuf du Pape. Here, sandy, beach-like soils give naturally fine, elegant, bouncy wines, which Caroline harnesses with her gentle, traditional winemaking approach. There is no destemming (“we do not own a destemming machine”) or punching down during fermentation (“just a little pumping over of the juice”). This is a rising star of the appellation.