The "Via Antiqua," the old Roman route to northern Gaul, once wound its way through the ancient vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Near its history-strewn path lay what are now the vineyards of Château Mont-Redon. The first mention of this vineyard, "Mons Retundus," later "Mourredon," meaning "round hill," appears in 1334 in a contract stipulating the vigneron's share of the harvest. Evidence of the vineyard appears sporadically over the next few centuries:

in 1570, it was part of the Barony of Lhers, and at the turn of the 1600s belonged to the Armenier family, who built a walled château in the middle of estate; this structure is mentioned again in 1693. By that time the estate had apparently come under the ownership of the church, but later, at some point prior to 1763, was purchased by an attorney and member of the family of the barons of Maufocon, Joseph Ignace Astier. Documents make specific reference to his "terres, vignes, olivettes, dit Mont-Redon" ("lands, vines and olive trees, called Mont-Redon").

Between 1828 and 1895, Mont-Redon belonged to the Mathieu family, descendants of the Astiers, one of whom, the poet Anselme Mathieu, printed the first decorative labels for his wines. Anselme Mathieu's mother, Claire Mathieu-Astier, had been given the estate by her father, whose financial ruin as a result of the French Revolution no longer permitted him to support it. Forty years after her husband's death, in 1856, Claire Mathieu-Astier died and the vineyard was divided among her six children. In October of 1923, Henri Plantin acquired some of the original parcels and began to reassemble the vineyard as it now exists. The third generation of his descendants, Jean and François Abeille and Didier Fabre, jointly own and manage the property today.

Château Mont-Redon is an estate of 330 acres, of which 200 are planted in vines. It is situated in the northwestern quadrant of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation on the high, stony plateau overlooking the Rhône River considered to be the finest microclimate of the region. Château Mont-Redon is the largest single-vineyard estate of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and one of only two in the entire appellation supporting plantings of all 13 grape varieties authorized under A.O.C. legislation regulating Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In addition to the principal estate, Mont-Redon also owns a 38-acre vineyard acquired at the beginning of the 1980s on the opposite bank of the Rhône at Roquemaure, under the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation.

Mont-Redon's extradordinary situation, at an altitude of 360 feet on Châteauneuf-du-Pape's highest elevation, is one of very few to include all three soils types found in the appellation. On the plateau's summit, covering approximately 150 acres, are the classic alpine diluvium soils consisting of a deep layer of large, round stones over a clay subsoil which draw the vine roots far into the earth to find a source of water. The stones also act as a natural incubator, absorbing the intense mediterranean sun during the day and radiating heat at night into the grapes.

Planted in Grenache and Syrah, these soils lend structure and backbone to the fruit. At the foot of the plateau, sheltered sandy soils support the Mourvèdre and Cinsault vines, which in this environment develop richness and intense aromatic qualities. The plateau's slopes are composed of limestone pebbles which lend finesse and fruitiness to the white Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Roussane and Picpoul vines in which they are planted. The Côtes-du-Rhône vineyard, also lying on Urgonian limestone, is planted principally in Grenache with smaller proportions of Cinsault and Syrah. The vines of the Châteauneuf estate average 45 years of age, and replanting of new vines takes place amidst the older vines in order to moderate the former's growth and productivity. Careful maintenance of the vineyard age has resulted in a long-term average yield of only 30 hectolitres per hectare (135 cases per acre).

Given the extremely inhospitable nature of the terrain, traditional cultivation of the vineyard is arduous but the only method possible. At harvest, the grapes are hand-picked and sorted in the field. The red grapes mature more or less within a proscribed period, and offer the possibility of fermenting two or more varieties together; the white grapes mature at different points in time, and each variety is fermented separately. Among the region's most technically sophisticated facilities, Mont-Redon heavily tempers technology with tradition in its approach to vinification.

Following harvest, the red grapes are 90 to 95 percent destemmed and crushed, with fermentation ensuing through the action of natural yeasts in a combination of lined and stainless steel temperature controlled vats. The marriage of varieties in the vat is orchestrated to take advantage of the different characteristics of each type of grape and the ability of each to enhance the other. The technique is based on the liquid to solid ratio of each variety once crushed and the saturation point at which aromatic, coloring and tannic matter will cease to be extracted from the skin into the juice. For example, the first cuvée is normally comprised of 70 percent Grenache, 20 percent Syrah and 10 percent Mourvèdre.

Syrah yields intense expressions of color, tannin and aromas with a high solid to liquid ratio; similarly, Mourvèdre is rich in aromatic, flavoring and structural elements. Grenache, with a lower solid to liquid ratio, is characterized by less pronounced expressions of color and aroma. Combined in fermentation, the relatively dilute juice and less dense skins of the Grenache elevate the must's overall saturation point, allowing a more complete extraction of color, tannin and aroma from the other two varieties. This results in a finished wine of greater depth, complexity and completeness than if the varieties were fermented separately.

The first cuvée, described above, represents the density and structural element of the wine; two other cuvées are similarly fermented. The second, consisting of approximately 80 percent Grenache and 20 percent Syrah, contributes depth of color and a degree of tannin; the third, comprised of 70 percent Grenache, 15 percent Cinsault, seven percent Syrah and seven to eight percent Muscardin, Counoise and Vaccarese, provides little structure but lends the finished blend intense aroma. Fermentation is carried out at 30 to 32C (86 to 89F) over eight to ten days. Approximately half the harvest is fermented in "cuves à pigeage" which pump the must over the cap to enhance extraction, followed by a maceration of 10 to 12 days; the other half is fermented in traditional vats with daily pumping over, followed by a maceration lasting up to two weeks. The three cuvées are pressed, racked and maintained separately for the malolactic fermentation and subsequent oak aging.

The first cuvée, constituting roughly 40 percent of the finished blend, is transferred to new oak barriques of 225 litres for a period of six to eight months, racked, and returned to the barrique for another six to eight months. The second cuvée, which accounts for approximately another 40 percent of the blend, spends a similar period in barriques of two to three years' use. The third cuvée, representing the remaining 20 percent of the blend, is aged for ten to 14 months in old oak "foudres," or vats of 20,000 litres. The final blend is assembled in stainless steel, fined with egg whites, and allowed to marry for three to four months prior to bottling, with release six months thereafter.

The white grapes are hand harvested in three separate passes through the vineyard. Grenache and Roussane mature first, followed by Clairette and Picpoul, and finally by Bourboulenc. Each variety is pressed separately and the must allowed to settle for 30 hours at 12°C (54°F), although some experimentation is underway with "macération pelliculaire," or skin contact, for Roussane and Clairette. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel over the period of a month at 15° to 16°C (59° to 62°F), with a slight elevation in temperature at the end of fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is blocked to preserve the crispness and acidity of the wine. The blend is assembled, followed by a light filtration, and the finished wine bottled in January.

Château Mont-Redon's superb "terroir," constant pursuit of quality and enviable reputation for excellence rank it among the great crus of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The philosophy of Jean and François Abeille and Didier Fabre is one which places the expression of the estate's extraordinary "terroir" first in wines vinified to exhibit deep, clean, intense fruit, ripe, balanced tannins and approachability without sacrifice of longevity. Total average annual production of slightly less than 50,000 cases, of which over 60 percent is in red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is distributed 35 percent in the domestic market and the balance to 23 export markets, of which the principal destinations are the United States, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland the United Kingdom and the Scandanavian countries.