The 2023 Côtes Du Rhône 'Mistral' which is from vines around the outskirts of the Châteauneuf du Pâpe AOP is by far the best example of this wine that I have seen. I was astonished at the colour and vibrancy of the wine in the glass and the concentration, freshness and length of flavour quite incredible for what you pay for the bottle; this is an astonishingly good Côtes Du Rhône !

Philippe Bravay from Domaine de Ferrand makes one of the finest examples of Chateauneuf du Pape available today.Trophy wine hunters are now taking a keen interest in his wines, but Philippe adheres to an incredibly reasonable pricing policy, which in turn enables us to offer his brilliant wines at a very fair price.

Philippe has now completely taken over the family domaine (Until 1995 most of the wine was sold to negociants and only a small part was bottled by his father) and is dedicated to preserving the unique traditions and special characteristics that define Chateauneuf du Pape. He uses very traditional methods including partial whole bunch fermentation, natural yeasts and cuvaison and elevage solely in tanks.

The domaine is tiny, all situated in the lieu-dit Ferrand. His neighbours in this Northern fringe near Orange are Charvin, Marcoux and Beaucastel.

Domaine de Ferrand Chateauneuf du Pape is made from just 5,5 ha. The vines producing wine for bottling at the domain are planted 1910 and 1930. Any wine from younger vines is sold off in bulk.Yields are typically around 25 hl/ha...In the last few years Ferrand Chateauneuf du Pape has been rated in the top bracket of all Chateauneuf du Papes by Robert Parker who has been tasting young wines there for the past 20 years.

Parker has an affinity for the wines of the Southern Rhone and a loves many of its wines made in the most traditional manner - Rayas, Bonneau, Charvin, Clos des Papes etc. It is then no surprise that he also loves Domaine de Ferrand and has recently parachuted their wines into the first division.

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