Famille Brunier, Le Pigeoulet - 2022
Fast Facts:
Winemaker(s): Frédéric & Daniel Brunier
Region: Châteauneuf-du-Pape & Caromb → Southern Rhône → France
Classification: IGP Vaucluse
Varietal(s): Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault
Terroir: Sandy river clay, limestone, hot and dry, windy
Serving Temp: 55-60°F
The Brunier family's whole reputation comes from a bet on the least promising piece of ground in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which is now about the most worshipped dirt in the southern Rhône. Pretty good bet! In the 1890s Hippolyte Brunier started planting a plateau called La Crau. The ground there is buried under galets roulés, smooth pink and yellow stones from an ancient Alpine glacier. At the high point stood the remains of an old optical telegraph tower, one of the relay stations that once flashed messages down to Marseille. Naturally, Hippolyte named the domaine after it.
A hundred years and a lot of Bruniers later, brothers Frédéric and Daniel took the place over in 1980 and split the work up nicely. Frédéric trained as an oenologist and went to the vineyards, while Daniel, who never studied wine at all, took over the cellar and made it up as he went on instinct.
Pigeoulet comes from two vineyards about thirty kilometers apart. The larger of the two sits out east on limestone slopes under Mont Ventoux, high and cool enough that the fruit gets harvested a full two weeks after everything else. That's how a red from this hot corner of France stays this light on its feet. The smaller one sits back home on the river flats, outside the Châteauneuf line. Grenache is the leader, with some Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault filling in. It's all fermented in concrete tanks, then rests in big old oak casks to mellow.
Why'd we pick it?
Across a century and a half and a whole lot of vineyards, every grape in every Brunier bottle comes from land the family farms themselves. That's a genuinely rare thing at this size, and it means nobody gets to pretend! If a parcel has a rough year, there's no one else's fruit to fall back on. Which works out, because reading soil is the family talent. Hippolyte looked at a plateau nobody wanted and planted what became one of the most famous vineyards in France. Turns out the eye for good dirt runs in the family.
Field Notes
- Tastes like: Black cherry and raspberry, and garrigue! A smidge of black pepper, and dusty tannins on the finish.
- Serve it: throw it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Just a wee bit of cold will be nice for the start, and the herbal side will come through in a cool way.
- Food Pairings: Lamb skewers with homemade hummus and flatbread. Sweet peppers charred and dressed with sherry vinegar. Fry up some new potatoes with garlic aioli with herbs. This is also a great burger wine! Lots of pickles, most definitely, and bleu cheese if it's your vibe.
