Winemaker Notes
Cellier Des Dauphins and the "Union des Vignerons des Cotes du Rhone," a story of men and their land.
Founded in 1967, Cellier des Dauphins wines are produced by a group of winegrowers called “Union des Vignerons des Côtes du Rhône” which now reunites 2 000 winegrower families of the southern Rhone Valley. With 12 000 hectares of vines, and around twenty appellations, Cellier des Dauphins has become the leading wine producer in the Rhone Valley in less than 50 years.
Cellier des Dauphins, the reference in the Rhone Valley.
Cellier des Dauphins has remained one of France’s benchmark Rhône brands for decades. Its luminous, luscious wines from the best villages and crus of the Southern Rhône Valley are highly reputed and synonymous with southern conviviality.
Commitment to protect the environment.
Cellier des Dauphins is now the first producer of Organic wines in the Rhône Valley. Since its creation, Cellier des Dauphins has been devoted to the protection the environment, the terroir and the transmission of ancestral skills by focusing on: sustainable development and organic viticulture, eco-design of packaging reducing our carbon footprint and promoting eco-friendly and recycled sourcing of material, waste reduction and recycling up to 90% and preservation of natural resources with reduction in water consumption and solar electricity production.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.