Pierre Amadieu

Pierre Amadieu - the beginnings

The history of the Pierre Amadieu winery begins in 1929, when he decides to bottle his wine and sell it under the name of Pierre Amadieu. at that time, he had 7 hectares of vineyard at his disposal, which had been in his family for several generations. He is one of the first to print the name of the appellation on his bottles and in 1932 he receives a gold medal in the National Agricultural Competition of Paris.

In the 1950s, he expands the estate and acquires the Romane and La Manchotte vineyards, making the family farm the largest in Gigondas with 137 hectares of vineyards. A new wine cellar is built and an old railroad tunnel is converted into another. This is no longer in use today, but the cellar of La Manchotte remains in operation. In the 70s, his sons Claude and Jean-Pierre joined the winery and continue to expand the business.

Today, a group of his descendants manage the winery: Pierre is in charge of winemaking. He works with his uncle Claude, who manages the vineyard, and with his three cousins: Henri-Claude manages sales, Jean-Marie helps him with cellar management and winemaking, and Marie is in charge of sales and the wine store. The latest project of the group is the new wine cellar, which was built for the ninetieth anniversary. Together they continue the long-standing spirit of the Amadieu family, respecting traditions and soils to produce wines that reflect and embody their unique terroir. Their goal is to offer wines that remain true to the grandfather's quality standards and add a touch of modernity to please the most discerning palates.

Pierre Amadieu and the vineyard

Domaine Pierre Amadieu is located on mainly north-northwest facing slopes between 230m and 500m above sea level and covers 137 hectares surrounded by 200 hectares of garrigue and holm oaks. 
This location allows perfect ventilation of the vines and avoids excessive sun exposure in midsummer. This brings freshness to the wines and allows the grapes to ripen longer without the risk of dryness or bitterness.

Grouped from La Machotte to Romane, different soil types characterize the vineyards:

• Early chalk-limestone gravel with a marl subsoil, provides a pronounced minerality 
• Dense clayey soils, which give structure to the wines
• Quaternary soils with a sandy subsoil around the village of Gigondas, which give delicacy to the wines

The Amadieu family has selected the appropriate grape varieties for the very different soil types to best express the terroir. On the highest sites, for example, white grape varieties are grown, which produce very powerful wines. In the valley, on the other hand, Mourvèdre, a red grape variety, is grown where the plants benefit from the warmth.

Manual labor and ecological awareness at Pierre Amadieu

The family still relies on manual labor in the vineyard, a philosophy that has survived from the winery's founding days to this day. Plant age averages 45 years, which guarantees very high quality. The oldest vines in the Domaine date back to the time of Pierre Amadieu. With less than one bottle per vine, these old vines need even more attention.

The Romane and La Machotte vineyard is planted according to the natural hillside topography of the property. It is managed as sustainably as possible and steep slopes are drained or covered with soil to limit erosion. Yields are limited (about 30 hectoliters per hectare) to achieve optimal concentration of flavors.

In the cellar of Pierre Amadieu

The grapes are harvested by hand and vinification takes place separately at two sites: The Romane cellar and the winery at the entrance of the village of Gigondas. Here they take the time necessary to create great wines. The maceration periods are long and traditional. The wines are then aged in the cellar of La Machotte, which has perfect natural humidity, and in the brand new Gigondas cellar, which opened in early 2019. It was built in natural stone and is designed to accommodate large-capacity barrels. It can accommodate 75 barrels of 225 liters and 21 foudres of 30 and 50 hectoliters. These two locations allow for a long and prudent aging process that, through the combination of barrels and foudres, produces an incomparable finesse and subtle toasted notes.