Domaine Porte Rouge

Domaine Porte Rouge was founded in 2003 by Bernard Friedmann. The domain can be found in the heart of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is named after the red gate leading from the winery to the village. Bernard started his career in wine as a négociant (wine merchant), but he eventually chose to make his own wine. One of his first acts as a new owner was to hire wine consultant Philippe Cambie. Philippe was a very talented winemaker from the southern Rhone who supported Bernard in the early years. Finally, after almost 20 years, Bernard decided to sell the domain to the Féraud family, known for the famous Domaine du Pegau. Since January 2022, the wines are made by Justine and Maxim, the two children of Laurence.

The vineyard area is not very large. It covers only 2.5 hectares in total and is divided over 6 different plots. The vines planted here are 60 years old on average. But there are also a number of vines of up to 90 years old! The planting consists of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah. The winery follows organic farming regulations and since 2014 they have been officially certified as an organic farm by Ecocert.

The main wine of Porte Rouge is the red Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The blend consists mainly of Grenache, supplemented with Syrah and a small amount of Mourvèdre. The grape bunches of the younger vines are usually destemmed. The grapes are then fermented in stainless steel tanks. After that, they mature for 18 to 24 months in French oak barrels. Production is limited; only 750 boxes are produced per year. In 2022 they also produced in limited numbers the Cuvée Aura (90% Grenache, 10% other CdP grapes) and The Discreet (90% Syrah, 10% other CdP grapes). 

Since the 2023 vintage, Justine Feraud also started to create a wine under the Porte Rouge label, named Cuvée Ju. This wine displays the modern style of Chateauneuf du Pape, using whole bunch fermentation and ageing on concrete eggs to retain as much of the freshness as possible. The wine is made following the Vin-Nature principles. An organic wine without any added sulphites, unfiltered and minimal intervention. The production for the Cuvée Ju is very limited with only 900 bottles in the first vintage.

Domaine Porte Rouge is a small-scale, but a very high-quality winery from the Rhône. Legendary vintages are 2005, 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2022.