Domaine La Monardière

Wines from the commune of Vacqueyras were labeled simply as Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages until 1990, the year they were elevated to the ranks of AOC. Much has changed since then for this appellation alongside its sibling, Gigondas. The requirements have tightened, notably a mandatory lowering of yields for reds to a maximum of 35 hl/ha. Christian Vache took the bull by the horns and catapulted his domaine to the top of Vacqueyras. He made a return to working the soil, refurbished the chai to isolate two separate cellars (one strictly for barriques), and now produces three red cuvées that offer a crescendoing expression of the Vacqueyras terroir.

Christian’s mischievous son Damien has been helming the domaine for a few years now, and his tenure has witnessed the domaine’s conversion to organic cultivation. With Monardière and Le Sang des Cailloux, does Maître de Chai represent the two brightest lights in Vacqueyras? We think so.