Chateau de la Gardine

Family and Tradition
The winemaking tradition of the Brunel family dates back to the 17th century. Gaston Brunel, a famous négociant, acquired the Château de la Gardine in Châteauneuf du Pape in 1945. The estate is now run by his two sons, Patrick and Maxime with the help of their wives Eve and Maryse and their children Marie-Odile and Philippe.   

The estate spreads over 52 ha of vineyards (48 ha of red and 4 ha of white) and 20 ha of forests, all gathered around the property. The domaine is famous for the quality of their wines and for the unique Gardine bottle. Today around 70% of the production is exported in about 30 countries.

Roots in the Rhône
In 1998, feeling the potential of the Lirac terroir, they also bought the Château Saint Roch in Roquemaure (40 ha), where a selection of red, white, and rosé wines is produced. It is Eve Brunel, who is also the oenologist for both La Gardine and St Roch, who runs the estate.Robert Parker says: "Not to be overlooked is the Brunel family’s Chateau Saint Roch estate in Lirac, from which some terrific bargains emerge."

Today the Brunel family comes back to the négoce tradition in the family with “Brunel de le Gardine”, allowing them to offer a wide range of both Southern and Northern Rhône appellations. Patrick Brunel chooses the best wines from each appellation using trustful relations with top winegrowers in the area. The family then uses all their knowledge and experience blending and maturing the wines, respecting tradition and the typicity of each terroir. The quality packaging, with the Gardine special bottle, is the signature of this fine selection.

The Gardine bottle
The Gardine bottle, both original and elegant, is the result of a happy coincidence...
When he first wanted to expand his cellar, while digging in the ground, Gaston Brunel found a mouth-blown bottle. He loved it and decided to use a similar shape for all his wine. 

At the beginning, he had to go all the way to Italy to find a glass supplier that was able to make it. Since 1964 all our wines have been bottled in the unique La Gardine shaped-bottle.

Respecting the environment
Winegrowers are amongst the first ones to experience the effects or climate change. At Château de la Gardine, our practices have always been very respectful of the planet.

Organic fertilization 
Biodiversit&eacuty; (20 ha of forest, apicultural set-asside areas, insect houses)Controlled weeding

For further information, please  come and visit us or contact us.