At the top of the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape you'll find the ruins of the Chateau, and just below, the restaurant and wine cellar of the Verger des Papes. This is a relatively new venture of one of the most respected hotel-restaurateurs of the region, Henri Estevenin with sons Jean Pierre and Philippe, and his young partner, sommelier Guy Bremond. Together they join the qualities of a top restaurant and wine-afficianado's wine-cellar of Chateauneuf-du-Papes including many rare and desirable vintages accumulated over a life-time by Henri, personal contacts with all the local wine-makers, and, from Guy, multiple languages from professional experience that spreads from Switzerland to Hong Kong to California, a sincere pleasure in the delights of tasting wine, and years of sharing, advising and counselling clients on what to drink with dinner and beyond, not to mention a good dose of charm and friendliness that encourages even the most reticent to relax and enjoy.

The Cave du Verger des Papes has been open now just over a year and a half. We had the good fortune to be amongst the first visitors to Guy's cave and have since revelled in the royal tastings he arranges for us and our clients and friends. And yes, our own wine cellar reflects this! When we arrive to taste, often on a Sunday morning, Guy has at least 7 wines set out for us. We begin with one or two white Chateauneuf-du-Papes, perhaps a Domaine de Marcoux, or a Beaucastel. Occasionally he'll pull out a 10 year old white so that we can experience the particularity of the Chateauneuf whites, that you can cellar them.

Then we'll advance to the reds. Guy carefully explains that there are over 200 domaines that bear the Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC label. At the Cave du Verger des Papes, they have a privileged relationship with the top 40 winemakers. But you must remember that it is individuals who make wine. Yes, the predominant grapes are grenache and syrah with a certain touch of mourvedre (and then there are the full 13 allowed by the AOC). But each wine-maker has his own land, his own style of vinifying, and his own touch in the blending. Some use only the oak of the huge old casks, others are experimenting with new oak; some vinify in the cement tanks of the region, others have modernized and equipped themselves with stainless steel.

Another element that shifts from vintner to vintner is reflected in their mastery and choice of temperatures during fermentation. Some keep the fermenting liquid quite cool encouraging fresh fruit flavors, others allow the temperature to rise higher, and may have a wine with more cooked fruit, dark cherry jam. And others have little fruit in the nose but reveal what might be the "typical" Chateauneuf personality, Russian leather and game, with a dose of red currant. Guy guides us through tastings of younger and older vintages, those vinified more "traditionally" and those which reflect the rich fruit and concentration so well loved by many a contemporary wine-drinker. It is a tasting that leads to the discovery of a region, and your own preferences. Always, it is emphasized, a good wine is one that you love! Trust your own taste, your own nose and if you are inclined to purchase, go for what you enjoy.

Guy is originally from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region, and opted early to concentrate on wine. He went to a professional hotel school in lieu of a classic high school and followed that with 2 years of study as a sommelier at the hotel school in Tain l'Hermitage. Immediately after his degree, he was whisked off to Geneva, Switzerland to work at the prestigious relais-chateau 4 star hotel le Richemond. He was only 18 years of age. He stayed there 7 years, and at the age of 23 was appointed chef-sommelier in charge of their wine cellar of 300,000 bottles from around the world. Switzerland is a glorious place to receive professional experience, particularly in the hotel world. Over and beyond the wine expertise he accumulated, Guy also acquired a fluency in German, Italian, English and Spanish, to complement his native French. From the Richemond Hotel, Guy was stolen away by the newly opened Grand Hotel Park in Gstaad, one of the most chic skiing areas of Switzerland. There he was fuly in control of the wine cellar and charged with creating it from scratch. A virtue of this position was its seasonality, open 8-9 months a year. Between seasons, Guy was able to travel and learn. He spent time interning at the Topolos winery in Sonoma Valley, close to the Russian River, to wineries in Germany, Italy and Spain (though not yet Chile or Australia or South Africa). He's also spent time in Chicago where he taught wine-tasting to cooking students of the Ritz Carlton (at the school Dumas Père of French Cooking in Glencoe, IL).

Which brings us to the year 1999 and a young man's desire to come back home after so many years of travelling and working abroad. Already acquainted with Henri Estevenin-- who had shown remarkable generosity to this young sommelier by inviting him at the age of 17 to share the table with the then world's top sommelier, Jean-Luc Pouteaux-- Guy arrived at a moment when Henri, having divested himself of his hotel-restaurant, wanted to do something with his phenomenol wine cellar. Guy lept at the opportunity of building a business with Henri and was no doubt lured as well by the working quarters, an ancient Roman wine cellar located just beneath the castle on the hill. Together, they continue to taste and acquire wine yearly from the best of the region, and to offer rare vintages kept in perfect condition for their entire life. Wine from the 60s and 70s that has always been at the right temperature, that has rarely if ever been moved...

The wines range quite a bit in price. The younger vintages, for instance the much lauded 2003, can be from 18Euro to 40Euro depending on the domaine. While the rarer and older millisimes can be up to 200Euro-350Euro a bottle. In keeping with his youth and dynamism, Guy has put up a wonderful web site where you can read through the domaines available, and depending on where you live, order wine from him.

http://www.caveduverger.com

So, don't hesitate to drop by to visit him and his assistant Jean-Baptiste (JP). You might want to communicate with him by email first and let him know you're coming. shop@caveduverger.com .