Domaine Giraud

Domaine Giraud is the pride of Pierre Giraud and his wife Mireille. Pierre is a descendant of the Armenier family, which has been making wine in the Rhone for more than six centuries. Mireille's family has owned the village distillery for generations. Not surprisingly, they chose to pool these experiences together and found Domaine Giraud in 1974. Their two children, François and Marie, share the same passion and love for wine. Both graduated as oenologists and have been helping out in the vineyard and cellar since 1998.

They started with just under four hectares at the time, but have since grown to around 35 hectares. The terroir is characterised by coarse gravel soil. The pebbles absorb heat during the day, which is given off at night, indirectly contributing to the wine's powerful character. The grape varieties grown are: grenache (blanc), mourvèdre, syrah, clairette, bourboulenc and roussanne. The grenache vines have an average age of up to 100 years! These are planted on the La Crau and Pignan plateau. Another important vineyard is the lieu-dit Les Galimardes. In 2008, Giraud switched to organic viticulture. The bunches are hand-picked and simultaneously selected for quality.

Giraud's portfolio consists of seven different cuvées, including five reds and two whites. Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Galimardes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenaches de Pierre and Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition are the winery's top cuvées. Both stainless steel tanks and concrete vats are used for fermentation. The grenache and mourvèdre mature for an average of 18 months in concrete vats. For extra structure, they age the syrah in used Bordeaux barriques. The wines are intense, complex and have fantastic storage potential.

Domaine Giraud's two legendary years are: 2007 and 2010.