Domaine Georges-Lombriere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie 2019

Owned and managed by a husband and wife team, this under-the-radar estate has fashioned an excellent Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the 2019 vintage. Marie and Benoit Lombrière decided in 2014 to take over 5.5 hectares of the former estate of Marie's parents, Marcel and Maryse Georges, in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Marie & Benoit began building the foundations of the domaine and defining the daily management of the vineyard. To complete the team, Benoit called a friend whose talent as a winemaker he admired, Pierre-Jean Villa. Pierre-Jean worked at prestigious domaines like Mommessin and Clos de Tart in Burgundy, and, since 2009, makes his own wine in the heart of the northern Rhône. From the beginning, they also associated Alaric de Portal, Deputy General Manager of an e-commerce site called ventealapropriété.com, to their adventure. Together, they revived a certain idea of Châteauneuf-du-Pape by elaborating elegant wines that showcase the purity of the fruit, the truth of the grape and the terroir. They are served at the Palais de l’Elysée (the French White House) and numerous top Michelin restaurants including Alain Dutournier (Carré de Feuillants), Pavillon Ledoyen, Anne Sophie Pic (La Dame de Pic), and Helène Darroze.

Of the 5.5 ha of the estate, nearly 5 ha are a single parcel situated on a sunny south-facing slope. On the pebbles of the clay and limestone soils, typical of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, the Grenache variety, which occupies 4.5 ha of the estate, flourishes like nowhere else. The vines, some of which are more than half a century old, are located in the area known as "le bois de la vieille”. Vines have been cultivated there for 7 centuries!  

Since 2017, the entire vineyard is in conversion to "organic farming” - which Marie and Benoit have practiced from the start. They also called on the expertise of the superstar team of Lisa and Claude Bourguignon to precisely identify the composition of their soils and replant by massal selection. The harvest is entirely done by hand and the grapes are brought to the cellar using only gravity. There, gentle extractions and ageing in large containers preserve the purity of the fruit. At the time of bottling, the wine is filtered very lightly, so as not to alter its finesse and subtlety. From harvest to bottling, every step is performed with utmost care. 

Made of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah. Cuvée Marie is born from the search for the right balance in the blend of red grape varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The diversity of the terroirs, the utmost care put in the vineyard work and the age of the vines – some of which are up to 50 years old – give the wine intense aromas and a delicate texture. It is entirely aged in casks and demi-muids for 9 months, unfined and very lightly filtered before bottling.

Chocolate and spicy nose. This is an elegant wine with a nice freshness and a dynamic structure in the mouth, ripeness and spiciness, light aromas of black fruits and pepper. The tannins are well integrated, which gives the Cuvée Marie a supple and voluptuous character. Around 10,500 bottles are produced.