Domaine des Sénéchaux

Domaine des Sénéchaux is located in the heart of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and offers a wonderful wine that captures the character of the region. The Cazes and Pradon families run the estate together and have brought it to a high level of quality that they are now praised by critical giants like Jeb Dunnuck. 

Domaine des Sénéchaux - The wine of the Pope

The history of Domaine des Sénéchauxwines begins with Pope John XXII in the 13th century. He was the second of the popes to reside in Avignon instead of Rome for a brief period in the Middle Ages. His seneschals came with him to Avignon and began to cultivate the lands around the pope's new summer home(Châteauneuf-du-Pape) with wine. The wine soon became the court drink of the Curia and retained this reputation even when they returned to Rome.

The forest of the seneschal

On the outskirts of the village stretches a forest, the Bois Sénéchaux. Around this forest there has been a vineyard since the 14th century, which is one of the oldest in the region and has existed in its present form since 1950. It gave its name to the estate and has been thoroughly restored by Pascal Roux, the current winemaker.

Today, the following grape varieties are cultivated on this vineyard:

• Grenache
• Syrah
• Mourvèdre

A total of 27 hectares of vines are planted here on the slope with a south-west exposure. The gravelly soils here store heat well, accelerating the ripening process, while the clay subsoil ensures a constant water supply.

The dry climate provides the ideal conditions for the typical Châteauneuf wines. On the north slope, white varieties ripen, thus benefiting from greater freshness than their red cousins. Here the soils are marl, which also give the white wines a mineral note.

A new beginning with Domaine des Sénéchaux 

The Cazes family now owns the winery. With them began the aging of wines at Domaine des Sénéchauxin small oak barrels, where previously large wooden tanks were used. The oxidation of the wines is thus enhanced. Temperature monitoring systems have been introduced, and as a result the winery is now able to bring high quality wines to market with consistency. 

Let yourself be enchanted by the reds and whites of Domaine des Sénéchaux and be transported to the time of the Avignon popes!