Domaine Rouge-Bleu a Côtes du Rhône Vineyard on the Rise

Côtes du Rhône Vineyard Refresh

Five years ago, I wrote an article for Global Living Magazine about the new owners of Domaine Rouge-Bleu. The backstory about how a Franco-Australian couple followed their dream of owning a wine label is below. Leveraging their experiences in winemaking and sales, Caroline Jones and Thomas Bertrand landed in the grapevines of Domaine Rouge-Bleu. This small vineyard in the Côtes du Rhône Valley is just outside the Vaucluse village of Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes.

A lot can happen in five years, including two babies. Bertrand and Jones have their hands full juggling the demands of two little girls, hosting a three-bedroom Bed and Breakfast, and operating a biodynamic vineyard. Their focus for Domaine Rouge-Bleu is the revitalization of rootstock and process improvements to increase production. They began with the physically demanding removal of older, low-production vines, and replanting any open pockets. They chose classic Provencal grapes, Grenache and Mourvèdre, Cinsault for rosé, and dedicated a parcel exclusively to white wine grapes.

Domaine Rouge-Bleu is a fully biodynamic vineyard. This agricultural methodology is good for the environment but requires careful oversight by the winemaker – Caroline Jones. As the vintner, she sets vigorous vineyard management standards and rejects the use of chemicals on the vines. The results of their hard work and investment in equipment (a pneumatic press, contemporary tanks, an alternate cooling system, a new pump, and barrel racks) are beginning to manifest in higher grape yields each year.

Currently, there are five wines available at Domaine Rouge-Bleu; three (3) red, one (1) white, and one (1) rosé. White wine production did not exist when they bought the vineyard, and rosé volume has increased significantly in the last five years. In 2018, Domaine Rouge-Bleu produced the equivalent of 27,500 bottles, of which red wines make up the majority at 16,000.

With Caroline’s hands-on approach the wine production at Domaine Rouge-Bleu restricts the addition of sulphur to only what is necessary.

“At Rouge-Bleu, there is no addition of sulphur during the fermentation process as the CO2 produced by the yeast protects the wine.  Once finished and in the maturation stage, we add low amounts of sulphur to our wines to ensure protection from oxidation. Only small amounts as there are other methods one can employ to further prevent oxidation, such as low or no filtration of reds, and using oxidative winemaking techniques which – contrary to logic perhaps – help protect a finished wine from some negative effects of oxidation. Our finished wines are low in sulphur (lower than the biodynamic standard) but not zero sulphur as this makes wine very unstable, and it would not travel well. As we export up to 75% of our wines, it is imperative that it reaches our clients in a drinkable state!”

Where to Buy a Bottle?

In many places. Three-quarters (75%) of the Domaine Rouge-Bleu production ships abroad. Find out where to buy Domaine Rouge-Bleu in Europe, North America and Asia.

Stay at Domaine Rouge-Bleu and Explore

There are three comfortable guestrooms at Domaine Rouge-Bleu. The B&B is open all year round except during harvest time when the harvest volunteers stay on site. The bedrooms – Grenache, Roussanne and Syrah – all have views of the vineyard and ensuite bathrooms. More details on the B&B and rooms here.

Here, is what one guest from Belgium had to say about their stay at Domaine Rouge-Bleu:

“The best people who make fantastic wine, very helpful, very friendly, beautiful vineyards where you can dwell between the wild rosemary, thyme, lavender… very cool place!”

Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes is a medium-size Provencal village with a population of roughly 2,500. Visitors and locals have a choice of several restaurants, cafés, bars and winery cellar doors. The town has a variety of retail stores for fashion, books, beauty salons, and realtors. Don’t miss the thriving Saturday morning market.

Centrally located in the Vaucluse, day-tripping from Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes is easy. Head to the city of Orange to visit the Théâtre antique (old Roman theatre). Discover the stunning jagged limestone peaks of Dentelles de Montmirail. Explore famous Southern Rhône Valley towns including the Roman ruins in Vaison la Romaine, wine-centric Gigondas, and the perched hamlet of Seguret.

Volunteer for the Harvest

For the annual harvest (vendange), Domaine Rouge-Bleu assembles a team of about ten (10) volunteers. This working holiday requires a commitment of at least two (2) but preferably three (3) weeks in September. Although, grape harvesting is their primary duty volunteers gain an understanding of the wine production process at the winery. In exchange for your labour, Domaine Rouge-Bleu provides food and lodging. Local volunteers are also welcome for a day of harvesting in exchange for lunch. For more information contact Thomas and Caroline at volunteers@rouge-bleu.com.

If you want to get a sense of what this experience might be like read this article by Ann Mah for the New York Times, “Harvesting Grapes in France with Champagne as a Reward.”

Previously published in Global Living Magazine May/June 2014:

“A Grape Filled Trail Leads to Domaine Rouge-Bleu”

Even for a princess-bride, dreaming up this fairy tale girl-meets-boy encounter could be a stretch. Two co-workers met for the first time as their Eurostar train rocketed through the French countryside on the rail tracks from London to Paris. Their weekend in France’s Champagne region, as guests of Krug and Dom Pérignon, was the beginning of a long-distance romance.

Caroline Jones, who hails from Western Australia, is now married to French native Thomas Bertrand the same fellow who caught her eye on that fast-moving train. In what, some might consider a risky roll of the dice they recently purchased a vineyard in France’s southern Rhone region. In reality, this acquisition may seem a little less reckless once you understand that Caroline and Thomas both have rich backgrounds in the wine industry.

At twenty-four years old, Caroline first experienced juice-stained-hands while assisting in the grape harvest in France. She worked her way from the vine fields into more complex vineyard roles from cellar hand to the vintage winemaker. Through her career, Caroline has been able to blend her early exposure to Australia’s progressive winemaking methodologies with the time-honoured approach rooted on French soil.

New Owners Domaine Rouge-Bleu

Thomas and Caroline now own and operate Domaine Rouge-Bleu in Provence located not too distant from the legendary Châteauneuf-du-Pape cellars. I was curious why they would even consider buying a vineyard that produces a wine called Lunatique. Caroline is clear in her response.

“I think it’s a great name for a wine, with a touch of humour. It refers both to the lunar cycle with which we farm, following the principles of biodynamics and also to what was a slightly mad idea to make the wine in the first place. Lunatique is a special parcel of 100-year-old Grenache vines located at the far end of our Indication Géographique Protégée (IPG) land, on an ancient riverbed – entirely made up of large, smooth stones like those of Châteauneuf-du-Pape but white in colour. The grapes from these vines initially went into our Dentelle IGP range until it was realized just how special they are, and thus Lunatique was born!”

From my exchange with Caroline, it is obvious that this couple is deeply familiar with their profession from the green shoots on the vine stocks in the spring to the corked and labelled wine bottle, and every step in between. They have also chosen their production area with careful attention to detail. Caroline spent many years working harvests in different grape growing regions around France, from Bordeaux to Banyuls and Gigondas, but she fell for the charms of Provence. She was seized by the same spell that captures so many tourists a year, the fabulous climate, outstanding food and refreshing wines.

Buying a Côtes du Rhône Vineyard

Their purchase of Domaine Rouge-Bleu was well researched; Caroline had personally handled the sweet fruit as one of the team members for the 2010 harvest at the vineyard. A little like their fairy tale first encounter, this vineyard has just the right balance of criteria to fulfill this couples’ dream of making wine in France. The property is of moderate size at nine hectares and the old vines have been tended following a biodynamic philosophy. In addition, few could argue with their choice of a geographic location near the shores of the Mediterranean and kissed by rays of the bright Provencal sun.

Thomas and Caroline’s story reads a bit like a whimsical novel until you consider the reality of running a small, weather-dependant, agricultural business, in a foreign language. Undeterred, they are clear that their philosophy is to work in harmony with nature to produce wines indicative of their terrain. Domaine Rouge-Bleu follows a biodynamic methodology, where they use low sulphur doses in the final wines, well below those permissible by biodynamic law. Their goal is ultimately to make wines that they enjoy drinking themselves.

The couple bought the existing vineyard from a winemaker-owner who had carefully nurtured the old vines of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan to produce fruit of exceptional concentration and depth of flavour, although limited in yield, at 25,000 bottles per year. Their vision is to make incremental improvements to the vineyard, winery and wines by drawing from their mutual industry experience and years between the vines. In the future, they hope to grow their existing export markets – United Kingdom, Australia and the United States – as well as venturing into new territories such as Sweden and Canada.

One might think that a physically demanding business venture in a new country would be enough for a young couple to tackle. Not this twosome. They decided to add a three-bedroom bed and breakfast (B&B) into the mix. This is a place where recently renovated, spacious rooms are named after grape varieties; Grenache, Syrah and Roussanne and offer-up views of the vineyard directly from your comfy bedside. Caroline and Thomas now welcome guests all-year-round into their warm Provencal-style farmhouse where a traditional French continental breakfast might just be served under the Mulberry tree – weather permitting.

This pair is fortunate to be able to follow their passion, something many of us never quite sort out.  However, I was curious about Caroline’s experience as an expat so many miles and time zones away from her native Australia. Caroline studied French in school and the deep history of Europe intrigued her. However, she was twenty-one before she first stepped foot on the European continent. Hooked by the diverse landscape of France from coastlines to mountain ranges, from plentiful farmland to enchanting cities. She was spellbound by the accessibility of fresh seasonal produce available from only a few kilometres away and hooked by the hundreds of artisan cheeses and buttery croissants.

Expat in Provence

Caroline says she probably will always consider herself an expat and a proud Australian. Despite having studied French in school, speaking like a local is something Caroline recognizes she may never fully achieve. Although, this clearly marks her as not “from here” she likes the fact that she is just a little different.

Being married to a Frenchman has helped ease some of the archetypal frustrations with settling in a new homeland. Even mountains of French paperwork, a country that still loves its forms in triplicate, and countless hours spent on the telephone for routine domestic and business matters have not sent Caroline running back to Australia. Her recommendation for anyone relocating to a new country is to find a native speaker or agency willing to assist with navigating the daunting list of local medical professionals, bureaucratic requirements and potential frustrations with household infrastructure and utilities.

During the sometimes nippy, damp Provencal winter months, Caroline admits that she misses friends and family, especially when she imagines that they might be enjoying lazy days at the beach and smoky barbeques. From time-to-time sensory induced recollections of gum-tree-filtered light, aqua waters of Olympic-sized swimming pools and cravings for vegemite draw her thoughts back to her homeland.

According to Caroline, expat life is not for everyone. You need to be ready for a challenge and prepared for the unexpected to arrive, in a new place. She recommends taking the mental approach that you are embarking on a unique learning experience complete with potentially astonishing outcomes. After all, who wouldn’t dream of living amongst sun-ripened grapes in a vineyard in the south of France?