Famille Isabel Ferrando

“Proprietress Isabel Ferrando has taken her Saint Prefert estate to France’s highest level, and she’s unquestionably making some of the most profound wines on earth today, including both reds and whites.” – Jeb Dunnuck

Isabel Ferrando bought Domaine Saint-Préfert in 2002 and found an ally in Henri Bonneau. He started her first fermentation with a barrel from his own cellar, supplied cuttings to revive the vineyards and taught her to farm organically. He also pointed her to the blue clay beneath Les Serres, the lieu-dit at the heart of the estate.

In 2020, she pivoted. She folded her single-site cuvées into one flagship red, in Châteauneuf’s older tradition of blending, and took a lighter hand: less oak, more whole clusters, native yeasts. Foudre, concrete, amphora and glass are used for ageing, with fermentations in concrete.

Now certified biodynamic, the estate has been joined by Isabel’s daughter Guillemette Ferrando, who brings fresh energy and a clear vision of the future. Trained under Jean-Marc Roulot in Burgundy, with harvests from Napa to Rioja and Priorat, she has already brought new intensity and precision to the whites through extended lees contact.

“Hard work. Subtle tweaks. Responsible farming. An uncompromising dedication to quality. Isabel Ferrando keeps doing things the right way, and her wines are dramatic proof.” – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

This is Châteauneuf du Pape for lovers of transparency, elegance and freshness, with satisfying fruit weight and plenty of intrigue – a style that captured our hearts on the first taste.