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To understand the history of Domaine du Joncier, we must go back in time and cross the Mediterranean. The ancestors of the Roussel family were pieds noirs. This family of farmers had always cultivated vines and clementine trees under the Algerian sun. Over the decades, they built up solid experience in the wine-growing profession. When war broke out, they unfortunately had no choice but to leave everything behind overnight. They chose to settle in the Rhône Valley between Gard and Vaucluse. The climate, landscapes and terroirs appealed to them and gave them the impetus to start a new venture.
Pierre Roussel, already an agricultural engineer in Algeria and a farmer at heart, immediately set out in search of great terroirs to recreate an estate. He found a rare gem on the Vallongue plateau in Lirac, which was then largely unexploited. In 1966-1967, he cleared the land, prepared the soil and planted the vineyard in this difficult but magnificent terroir of rounded pebbles. The Domaine du Joncier was born. The origin of the word Joncier, derived from the word genêt (broom), alone testifies to the work he had to undertake to get the best out of this wild terroir.
The feisty, vivacious Marine Roussel took her time finding her place in the family domaine. Her father, Pierre, was an agronomist and started Domaine du Joncier in 1964. However, as a young graphic artist, Marine was seeking adventure beyond her small, sleepy town in the Southern Rhône. After living in both Marseille and Paris, Marine eventually felt a strong pull to return home. She joined the domaine in 1989, and has since taken on her new vocation with the zeal that only a true artist could possess. Marine aims to achieve balance, purity, and minerality in her wines—a noble, if not challenging, goal given the sunbaked terroirs she farms. On the right bank of the Southern Rhône, Lirac shares many similarities to both neighboring crus Tavel and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Her terraced vineyards of alluvial soil and galets roulés mirror Châteauneuf’s terraces right across the river. Maximum sun exposure and ripeness like that of Tavel must be tempered, and that is where both nature and Marine’s artistry comes into play.
Her terraces benefit from the persistent mistral, whose regular gusts purify the vines of parasites and mildew throughout the entire year. The galets roulés in the soil provide good drainage and insulation, preventing the roots from getting too hot or too cold at any given time. In addition, Marine achieved organic certification in her vineyards in 2000 and biodynamic certification in 2011. Her soils are alive with microbiotic activity, lending a hand in both the long-term sustainability of her land and in the mineral expression of her wines. Since the vines naturally achieve such low yields, Marine seeks a gentle tannin extraction, too, an important step that provides balance to the final blends. She makes two impressive Lirac Rouges, the first a classic blend with a majority percentage of Grenache, and Cuvée Les Muses, an inky blend made predominately with Mourvèdre.
une forêt en automne,
odeurs de terre, de truffe,
parfums subtils et intenses de sous bois
des oiseaux s’envolent élégamment
vers la cime des arbres…
Un chant envoutant s’élève, l’air vibre …
Elégant, élancé, noble,
ce bel aristocrate vêtu d’un long
manteau rouge éclatant,
marche à travers champs et vergers
serein et déterminé,
il part rejoindre sa belle …
The FAMILLE ABEILLE-FABRE – CHÂTEAU MONT REDON family purchased the winery in 2022 and continues to operate the brand under the same logo.
Château Mont-Redon will be familiar to those who know and love Châteauneuf-du-Pape being well recognized as the owners of one of the most highly regarded vineyard sites in the appellation. The superb quality of its vineyards has been recognized throughout history and prior to the adaptation of the appellation controlee system it was one of the few ‘Grand Crus’ in the region (together with Chateau Rayas).