In the 14th century, during their stay in Avignon, the popes built a papal castle in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Impressed by the area’s exceptional terroir surrounding the castle, Pope Jean XXII planted the first vines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 1320. Interestingly, the wine that gave Châteauneuf-du-Pape its original reputation was the white and not the red. The white wine was a favorite of Pope Innocent VI.
Today the castle is now a historic monument in Avignon, and the papacy is based in Rome’s Vatican City. But still today, the pope’s coat of arms remains on the bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and the wines are still produced in a similar manner as when the popes first pressed their juice.
Established in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the commune of Orange, the Jaume family has been dedicated to the art of wine growing since 1826. Founded by Mathieu Jaume, the Domaine is now run by the 5th and 6th generations of Jaumes: Alain Jaume & his children Christophe, Sébastien, and Hélène.
Historically, Domaine Grand Veneur was known for its white wines, until 1995 when the winery refocused their efforts on the reds. The estate now measures 225 acres and covers four appellations:
The Jaume family produces wines from these appellations under the Grand Veneur, Chateau Mazane and Clos des Sixte labels. They also produce wines from the AOC's of Rasteau, Gigondas, Cairanne and Ventoux under their Alain Jaume label.
13 grape types are planted, six of which truly stand out: Black Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre for the reds, and Clairette, Roussanne and Viognier for the whites.
Both Grand Veneur and Clos de Sixte vineyards are grown in accordance with certified organic agricultural practices. The soils are maintained exclusively by light plowing and fertilized with vegetal compost. The vines are only sprayed when there are justified risks to the health of the vines, and only organic-permitted treatments are used. Yields are low, or kept under control by green-harvesting. This method, carried out by hand in summer, provides optimum sun exposure for the best clusters and enables the winery to be selective on both quantity and quality of the grapes. Harvesting is by hand, from pruning the leaves to aerate the clusters to picking and sorting grapes and selecting only the best to press.
Covering 30 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape (over 100 acres in Cotes du Rhone, Lirac, Vacqueyras and Gigondas), Domaine Grand Veneur is run by the incredibly talented Sebastien and Christophe Jaume. The style here, if looked at as a whole, is more traditional than not, with plenty of tank and stainless steel, yet their Chateauneuf du Papes are distinctly modern and spent plenty of time in small barrels. However, they never lose their Southern Rhone typicity, have gorgeous purity and also possess balanced, age-worthy profiles. These are some of the most exciting wines coming out of the region and they should not be missed! Note: the estate bottlings are released under the Domaine Grand Veneur label, and the negociant wines are released under the Alain Jaume et Fils label. The 2012 whites from the Jaume brothers are incredibly strong.
Wine Advocate (Issue #209, October 2013)
Wine Advocate (Issue #195, June 2011)
"This estate and its parent company, Alain Jaume & Fils, have been staples in many American cellars for decades because they consistently combine quality and value. My visit to the estate was highlighted by the opportunity to try the full range on offer and a number of older vintages, which simply reinforced my view that this is one of the Southern Rhône's most important addresses for wine lovers. While the Alain Jaume & Fils Gigondas and Châteauneuf du Pape wines are reviewed this issue, I'll have notes on more of the company's lineup in Part 2 of my Southern Rhône report. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #247, August 2019)
In contrast, said Jaume, "2020 was quite warm and dry, not as big as 2019, when the numbers should have been nigher. The level of tannins and structure was less than we expected."
Given the lateness of my visit, we focused on already-bottled wines, including a short, recent vertical of the estate's top wine, the Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. From 2016 through 2019, this cuvée has been one of the appellation's best, most consistent releases. When the "weak link" in a vertical comes in at 95 points, that's not too shabby.
We also looked back at 2011, "A vintage that was much better than people think, but not for everybody," said Jaume. "Late heat raised the ripeness of the Mourvèdre after some rain in late August—we picked ours at 16 degrees [of potential alcohol], but some people had lost leaves and then could never ripen their fruit." Certainly the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is one of the great successes of the vintage.
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (May 2022)
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019)
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 221, October 2015)
"There are few better run estates in the world than that of the Jaume Family’s Domaine Grand Veneur. Located in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and run today by brothers Christophe and Sebastien Jaume, the estate produces a quasi-modern style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (their Les Origins and Vieilles Vignes) as well as a growing number of negociant based wines from throughout the Southern Rhône. The 2017s whites are terrific across the board, and this vintage has produced charming, pure wines that are already drinking beautifully. The 2016 reds are some of the finest I’ve tasted from this estate."
- Jeb Dunnuck (August 2018, LE MILLÉSIME… The 2016s from the Southern Rhône - Part 1)
- Jeb Dunnuck (October 2020)
- Jeb Dunnuck (Southern Rhône 2020 & 2021, November 2022)
