Domaine La Milliere, Chateauneuf-du-Pape - The Oak Barrel Imports

Posted by Joe Perry on 29th Jul 2021

The Rhone Valley is almost certainly my favourite region for red wine in the world, from the smokey, rustic wines of Cote-Rotie all the way down to the pure, mineral Grenache blends grown around Avignon. Drinking wines from estates like Pegau, Beaucastel, and Rayas single handedly fuelled the drive to continue to discover the great wines that the Rhone Valley has to offer.

So we were quite blown away when we tasted the wines of Domaine La Milliere for the first time!

Domaine La Milliere is a small producer based halfway between the towns of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Orange in the south of France. Representing 5 generations of growers in the region, this family operation farms some of the oldest vines in the region, averaging between 80-100 years old, and the oldest dating all the way back to 1891.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a region cemented among the most famous wine producing areas in France, the greatest reds from Chateauneuf sit comfortably alongside the best Bordeaux and Burgundy in the world today.

Wine grape growing in the region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape dates back to Roman times, however when Pope Clement V moved the Papacy to Avignon in 1306 wine growing received a boost and the wine industry flourished in the region until the Phylloxera epidemic which struck the region in around 1866.

Domaine La Milliere represents traditional Chateauneuf-du-Pape with their vineyards certified organic and farmed biodynamically. With an emphasis on biodiversity these old vineyards are naturally balanced. The winemaking is just as traditonal with the winery nestled in the old part of the estates cellar. Long extended maturations are used to allow these Chateauneuf-du-Pape to reach their full potential when released. Domaine La Milliere also produces a very small amount of Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc in exceptional vintages of old vines.

The Oak Barrel is proud to represent Domaine La Milliere in Australia


Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Vielles Vignes 2018 $95.00 each or $85.50 in any 6 Strong ruby garnet, violet reflexes, subtle edge lightening. Delicate floral nose with candied violets with shades of pickled cherries. Juicy, elegant, fine plum fruit, integrated tannins, silky, well-adhered style, finesse-rich classics.	Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Vielles Vignes 2016 $95.00 each or $85.50 in any 6 Ripe but restrained cassis and black-cherry notes are tinged by mushroom, wet earth and fur in this concentrated and fruity but rustic red. It's full bodied and firmly structured by fine-grained, densely packed tannins. This savory, more classic style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape should hold well through 2026	Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Vielles Vignes 2015 $95.00 each or $85.50 in any 6 Bright ruby-red. An assertively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits and shows subtle background notes of peppery spices and lavender. Plush and expansive on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors lifted by zesty acidity. The floral and spice notes drive a long, gently tannic finish that features a subtle touch of allspice.

Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge La Bessade 2016 $150.00 each Bright magenta. Deeply perfumed blackberry, cherry cola and spicecake scents are complemented by hints of succulent flowers and garrigue. Round, deeply concentrated cherry cola, dark berry preserve and lavender pastille flavors show impressive and downright surprising energy for their heft. Finishes minerally, sweet and very long, leaving sappy dark berry and floral pastille notes behind.	Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge La Bessade 2015 $165.00 each Produced from 100-year-old Grenache grown on sandy soils and matured in demi-muids, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape La Bessade is a grippingly tannic wine, but the dark plum, cola and spice notes never let up, gradually growing in intensity across the palate and leaving behind a mouthwatering finish of fresh fruit, clove and allspice.	Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2018 $79.95 each or $71.95 in any 6 Equal parts Grenache and Bourboulenc, accented by smaller amounts of Clairette and Roussanne, this is a beautifully fruit-focused white that's been vinified and aged entirely in stainless steel. Flavors of yellow plum and grapefruit are primary and juicy but nuanced, too, lifted by a crush of salty minerals and a savory finish marked by beeswax.

Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2019 $79.95 each or $71.95 in any 6 2019, a generous vintage! Between hot weather and little rain, the year 2019 offered a harvest where optimal maturity and generosity were at the rendezvous. Beautiful color, generous in structure, the wines born in 2019 assert themselves on the aromatic richness and balance, pledge of a good ageing potential.	Domaine La Milliere Cotes du Rhone Vieilles Vignes 2019 $39.95 each or $35.96 in any 6 Bold and rich with dominant Grenache fruit. Layers of red and black berries, with a touch of oak tannin and spice. More baking spice on the palate with dense, creamy fruit. Lovely and bright, this Cotes du Rhone shows fantastic value and serious ageing potential.

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