Domaine Andre Brunel

We are delighted to announce that as a result of a trip to the Rhône Valley back in April, we are now working with the renowned André Brunel from Châteauneuf du Pape. André is most famous for his premium, highly sought-after Châteauneuf du Pape, although he also produces outstanding value Côtes du Rhônes and a brilliant Vin de Pays from Vaucluse. We are very proud to introduce his range of wines, which are new to armit this September.

“André Brunel produces powerful yet rich, elegant, concentrated wines that have gone from strength to strength since the late eighties… he is one of the bright shining lights of Châteauneuf du Pape.” Robert Parker, Wines of the Rhône Valley

Delicate spice and floral scents. Ripe, spicy fruit showing citrus notes, peach stones and apricots with a hint of fennel. Complex, intense and concentrated with a long finish.

Aromas of toasted lemons with a hint of spice. Lively, fresh fruit on the palate with flavours of apricots and white peach. Creamy and ripe with mouthwatering acidity. Absolutely delicious.

Classic Grenache characters, with juicy black fruit and blueberries. Ripe and forward raspberry and blueberry fruit on the palate with a hint of mintiness. Perfect tannins and acidity to balance. Simply outstanding value for money.

Brambly fruit on the nose. Deliciously ripe red fruit and summer pudding flavours to follow. Mouthfilling and juicy forward fruit. An excellent example of a Côtes du Rhône.

Intense, brambly fruit on the nose with notes of herbs. Ripe red jammy fruit with blackcurrants, herbs and underlying notes of earth, liquorice and spice. Incredibly rich, complex and layered with enormous depth and concentration, with very long length. Extremely impressive. armit

The 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape has a deeper ruby/purple color than the 2004 and more boysenberry and black creme de cassis notes along with some pepper and incense. It is elegant, pure, with good acidity as well as nice texture and richness. The wine will probably need 1-2 years of bottle age, and drink well for 12-15. Andre Brunel has always been one of the most progressive and brilliant proprietors of Chateauneuf du Pape and the good news is that he has purchased 40 hectares (that’s over 100 acres) of high-class Cotes du Rhone vineyards near Chateauneuf du Pape, so we can expect to see larger quantities of serious wines emerge. 90-92 points, Wine Advocate # 169, Robert Parker

The Brunel Estate of Les Cailloux at Chemin du Bois de la Ville was established in 1919 and is named after the famous galet roulés (large stones) found in the vineyards of Châteauneuf. The Brunel family has lived in the area since the 18th century, although André's grandfather was the first in the family to turn his hand to winemaking and the tradition has continued since. André joined his father in 1971 and during his career as a Vigneron has turned Les Cailloux into a world-class domaine.

The Estate today covers 80 hectares, with vineyard holdings throughout the southern Rhône valley. The Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc is produced from grapes grown in the Becassonne vineyard, which is located in Sorgues, 6km south of Châteauneuf du Pape. The Vaucluse vineyard is located on the banks of the river Aigues on the famous 'Plan de Dieu' terroir between Orange & Vaison, boasting vines of 30-40 years old. The Sommelongue vineyard is just north of Orange and some 10km north of Châteauneuf du Pape. The famous Les Cailloux vineyard stretches 18 hectares in AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

André Brunel is more renowned as a progressive producer of high-quality Châteauneuf du Pape, where he fashions the superb Les Cailloux. But readers looking for a value-priced introduction to his fine winemaking should seek out his red Côtes du Rhône, bottled under the name Domaine André Brunel, and his white Côtes du Rhône, Domaine Becassonne. These are forward, rich, fruity wines that are meant to be drunk early. The red Côtes du Rhône is a delicious, peppery, complex wine that will drink well for 5-6 years. Desiring to capture the full pleasures of his vineyard, Brunel bottles this wine without fining or filtration.

The white wine from the Domaine Becassonne has improved immensely over the last five years. It is now one of the finest examples of a dry white Côtes du Rhône. It is gutsy wine with a robust, honeysuckle-like nose and flavours. This boldly styled, rich, flavourful wine should be drunk within 2-3 years of the vintage.

Robert Parker, Wines of the Rhône Valley

André Brunel, who resembles the movie actor William hurt, must be in his early fifties, but he looks ten years younger. He has always been one of the more serious producers in Châteauneuf du Pape, and I am thrilled to write that since I first reported on his wines 10 years ago, the quality at Les Cailloux has risen higher and higher. From this 52-acre estate, André Brunel produces powerful yet rich, elegant, concentrated wines that have gone from strength to strength since the late eighties. His vineyards are morsellated, but a large segment is planted near Mont Redon, on the famed galets roulés. Brunel, who took over from his father in the early seventies, comes from a family that has lived in Châteauneuf du Pape since the eighteenth century. His enthusiasm and leadership qualities have not gone unnoticed in the village, where he has a prominent position with one of the 2 syndicates that govern the appellation, as well as his own growers' group, Les Reflets.

Brunel has never been content to rest on his accomplishments, always challenging the old ways while examining and questioning newer methods. He has gradually increased the percentage of Roussanne in the very good white wine made at Les Cailloux, and in the red, Syrah and Mourvèdre have taken on increasing importance in the final blend. In 1989 Brunel launched a limited-production Cuvée Centenaire, made from a 5.6-acre parcel of vines that were planted in 1989. This wine is primarily Grenache.

The flexible approach to winemaking that exists at Les Cailloux extends to Brunel's position on destemming. Since Brunel recognized that the stems were often not physiologically mature and imparted too much acidity and bitterness, virtually all of the Mourvèdre and most of the Syrah and Grenache have been destemmed. Prior to 1988, Brunel kept an open mind with respect to fining and filtration. In vintages where the wine did not fall bright and clear, he did a minimal fining and filtering. In those years where there were no suspended protein or haziness, the wines were bottled unfiltered. However, since the 1988 vintage, Brunel decided to eliminate both fining and filtration for his red wines. The Cuvée Centenaire has always been bottled unfiltered.

Brunel's wines were good though lacking consistency in the 70s and early 80s, but they have been in top form since the late eighties. His Châteauneuf du Pape is usually drinkable when released, but it is capable of 10-15 years of aging. The Cuvée Centenaire is a wine of extraordinary opulence and richness, and although very drinkable young, it is capable of lasting for 2 decades or more. André Brunel is one of the bright shining lights of Châteauneuf du Pape.

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