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 jointly run the estate and have brought it to a high level of quality, for which they are praised today by major critics such as Jeb Dunnuck. 

Domaine des Sénéchaux - The Pope’s Wine

The history of the wines of Domaine des Sénéchaux begins with Pope John XXII in the 13th century. He was the second of the popes who, for a short time in the Middle Ages, resided in Avignon instead of Rome. His seneschals came with him to Avignon and began to cultivate the lands around the pope’s new summer residence (Châteauneuf-du-Pape) with vines. The wine soon became the court drink of the Curia and retained this reputation even after the return to Rome.

The Seneschal’s Forest

On the edge of the village stretches a forest, the Bois Sénéchaux. Around this forest, since the 14th century, lies a vineyard that is one of the oldest in the region and has existed in its present form since 1950. It gave the estate its name and was fundamentally restored by Pascal Roux, the current winemaker.

The following grape varieties are cultivated in this vineyard today:

• Grenache
• Syrah
• Mourvèdre

A total of 27 hectares of vineyards extend here over the slope with a south-western exposure. The gravel soils store heat well and thus accelerate the ripening process, while the clay subsoil ensures a constant water supply.

The dry climate offers the ideal conditions for typical Châteauneuf wines. White varieties ripen on the northern slope, benefiting from greater freshness than their red counterparts. Here the soils contain marl, which also lends the white wines a mineral note.

A New Beginning with Domaine des Sénéchaux 

The Cazes family owns the estate today. With them, the maturation of the wines at Domaine des Sénéchaux began to take place in small oak barrels, whereas large wooden vats had previously been used. This increases the oxidation of the wines. Temperature monitoring systems were introduced, and the estate is now able to bring consistently high-quality wines to the market. 

Let yourself be enchanted by the red and white wines of Domaine des Sénéchaux and be transported back to the time of the Avignon popes!