Dom. Chante Cigale

Maison Favier Châteauneuf du Pape, Rhône Valley, France Domaine Chante Cigale is situated on the left bank of the Rhône, between Orange and Sorgues, on a variety of soils which contain a high proportion of ‘galets’. These are the large stones of Châteauneuf-du-Pape which heat up during the day, and release their heat at night, allowing the grapes to achieve maximum ripeness. This is an historic estate in the region. Established in 1874 by Hippolyte Jourdan, the 28 hectare domaine was originally called “clos Chante Cigale” for the local singing cicadas of summertime. When the estate was presented with an AOC Châteauneuf du Pape designation in 1936, Paul Jourdan changed the name to Domaine Chante Cigale. Since taking over the running of the estate from his father almost ten years ago, the family’s current generation winemaker, Alexandre Favier, has transformed the quality of the wines, which now rank amongst the very best of the appellation. The Reserve des Oliviers is a second label of Chante Cigale, composed of 13.5 hectares of classified Châteauneuf du Pape land. In total, the domaine now encompasses 46 hectares with 3 hectares of Côtes du Rhône.