Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf du Pape Wine, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf du Pape with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important wineries and winemakers from the Rhone valley: Links to all Rhone Valley Wine Producer Profiles

Domaine de Saint Siffrein History, Overview

Domaine de Saint Siffrein enjoys a long history in the Southern Rhone valley as it was founded in 1880 by Abel Chastan. Domaine de Saint Siffrein is still owned by the same family, the Chastan family today. However, for much of the time since the estate was created, the harvest was sold to negociants.

That began to change in 1950 when they began producing, bottling, and selling their own wine. Cyril Chastan a direct descendant of the founder has been in charge of managing Domaine de Saint Siffrein since 2005 when he took over from his father, Claude Chastan.

Domaine de Saint Siffrein Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

Domaine de Saint Siffrein owns 14 hectares of vines in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation. 13 hectares are used to grow red wine grapes. 1 hectare is reserved for the production of white wine grape varieties.

The vineyards are well placed in the northwestern part of Chateauneuf du Pape, in the Cabrieres and Palestor lieux-dits. The vineyard is managed using biodynamic farming techniques. In 2012, Domaine de Saint Siffrein was certified Agriculture Biologique.

However, Domaine de Saint Siffrein can claim credit for being one of the first vineyards in Chateauneuf du Pape to practice organic farming, which is something they have been doing since at least 1980.

Domaine de Saint Siffrein produces 2 red Chateauneuf du Pape wines and one Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc. They also own 4 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Rhone.

Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of 65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault from vines that are at least 60 years of age.

The terroir is mostly galets, but there are also soils with clay, sand, and limestone. The wines are aged mostly in with 10% of the wine being aged in foudres and old, French oak barrels for 12 months. The production averages 3,500 cases per vintage.

Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf du Pape Terre d’Abel is usually a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre, although you can also find Syrah included in the blend as well. The terroir is mostly galets, but there are also soils with clay, sand, and limestone.

The vines used here are old vines that range from 60 years of age to more than 100 years of age. Although the blend can vary depending on the vintage. The wine is aged in a combination of vessels with roughly 70% of the wine aging in foudres and the remaining wine is aged in used French oak barrels. The production is quite small with less than 200 cases per year being produced.

Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a blend of 35% Grenache Blanc, 30% Clairette, 15% Roussanne, 15% Bourboulenc and 5% Picpoul.

When to Drink Domaine de Saint Siffrein, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Domaine de Saint Siffrein can be enjoyed popped and poured, or decanted for about 1 hour or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Domaine de Saint Siffrein is usually better with 2-4 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, the wine should be consumed within 7-12 years after the vintage.

Serving Domaine de Saint Siffrein with Wine, Food Pairing Tips

Domaine de Saint Siffrein is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Domaine de Saint Siffrein is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, stewed dishes, sausage, barbecue, and cassoulet. Domaine de Saint Siffrein is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, pasta, cheese, eggplant, tomatoes, and a diverse array of hard and soft cheese.

The white wine of Domaine de Saint Siffrein is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork, and veal, as well as Asian cuisine.

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