{"id":10,"date":"2019-06-19T08:47:46","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T06:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2022-02-09T15:21:32","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T14:21:32","slug":"histoire","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/le-domaine\/histoire\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"

History<\/h1>
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First century BC
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The village of Gigondas was at first called Gigundaz (1138), from the Latin Jocondatis<\/em>a toponym evoking joy and elation. Such a name was predestined for vine and wine culture, and for the development of authentic vigneron traditions over two millennia...
\nThe veterans of the Second Roman Legion, who in the first century BC founded the Colonia Julia Arausio (i.e. the town of Orange), are thought to have established the village's first vineyards.<\/p>\n

Circa 1120<\/h2>\n

Rostang III, Bishop of Vaison, gifted to his cathedral a plot of land that included a vineyard in Gigondas, near the River Ouv\u00e8ze. He did so in these terms: \u201cPetro vero Alberto Gigundatis pro vinea quae sita est juxta viam publicam est inter (... otam) episcopalem et fluvium Ovic\u0153 solidis ordo dedit\u201d (\"Pierre, also named Albert of Gigondas, was given eight sous for a vine located near the public way between the bishop's mound and the River Ouv\u00e8ze\"). This is the oldest deed confirming the existence of a vineyard within the village boundary.<\/p>\n

By the 14th<\/sup> century, vines covered a vast expanse, according to the notarial records. They appear to have yielded good wines, because in 1341 Raymond des Baux, Prince of Orange, granted certain grazing freedoms to the villagers on condition they paid their dues with, in particular, their own wine.<\/p>\n

1376<\/h2>\n

The first mention of a vineyard name in Gigondas refers to \u201cLes Bosquets\u201d.In the 15th<\/sup> century, notarial deeds provide the following names of localities and districts: Les Hautes and Basses Garrigues, Teyssonni\u00e8res, Chanteduc, Ventolon, Palli\u00e8res, Trignon, Beaumettes and La Coste de Saint-Cosme.<\/p>\n

1694<\/h2>\n

This was probably the year when the first man named Roux set foot in Palli\u00e8res, and the estate stayed in the family until 1998. An era spanning three hundred years and more\u2026<\/p>\n

1765<\/h2>\n

The Chapel of Notre-Dame de Gr\u00e2ce was built by a Roux family ancestor. This is doubtless why it is a relatively long way from the village centre, but its construction primarily reflects the wealth of the estate\u2019s owners.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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During the 17th<\/sup> century, some residents of Gigondas seem to have given up vines and switched to growing olive and mulberry trees, which required less care. But there were still plenty of vineyards, which justified a proclamation to begin harvesting. Any infringement resulted in a fine, set at five pounds in 1771.<\/p>\n

In the 18th<\/sup> and 19th<\/sup> centuries, documents noted that the municipality was \u201cfertile in wine\u201d.<\/p>\n

1894<\/h2>\n

A Domaine de Palli\u00e8res wines earned its first gold medal at the Concours G\u00e9n\u00e9ral Agricole in Paris.<\/p>\n

The estate long farmed multiple crops \u2013 olives, apricots, truffles, and vines for wine and table grapes \u2013 as well as breeding silkworms.<\/p>\n

Successive bequests seriously fragmented the estate: by the early 1950s, Hilarion Roux owned the house and scattered plots, which made up a 15-hectare property. He then began a policy of buying and clearing land, which resulted in the estate as it is today.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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___________________________<\/h2>\n

Text found in a small notebook, written by Hilarion Roux<\/h3>\n

Gigondas, 5 March 1907<\/em><\/p>\n

While going through the family's old deeds and papers, which start in 1602, I find mentioned in a letter dated 23 April 1759, addressed to the most illustrious and reverend BIshop of Orange, Lord Baron of the Domaine de Gigondas, signed by Fran\u00e7ois Roux, that:<\/em><\/p>\n

In the year 1729, Mr Eymeri, clerk to the domaine of the Principality of Orange, had sold for two deniers, the land where our spring lies at Mourre de Pi\u00e9gu. This sale was ratified, approved and confirmed by the legal counsel of the Bishop of Orange, a man named Roux, a priest living in Saint-Andr\u00e9 des Rami\u00e8res in the Bishop's Ch\u00e2teau, who received a proxy from Ma\u00eetre Bouvier, a notary in Gigondas, on 25 February 1758, but since 1756 he had been administering the matter pursuant to a waiver issued by notarial deed in Caderousse on 9 September 1763.<\/em><\/p>\n

Search to be done at the office of Ma\u00eetre Beno\u00eet in Sablet:<\/em>
\n1) A deed of exchange between Pascal Roux and the municipality on 2 September 1694<\/em>
\n2) Another between the same, 3 September 1696<\/em>
\n3) A deed between Tarende (?) and the Roux family<\/em><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/h2>\n

1956<\/h2>\n

When the bitterly cold winter of 1956 killed the olive trees that had survived the big freeze of 1929, Hilarion Roux decided to plant vines in their stead. Some of the current plantings date from that time.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1971<\/h2>\n

The vine growers of Gigondas had since 1924 emphasised how carefully they made their wines, stating on their harvest declaration that they intended to give them the \u201cappellation d\u2019origine Gigondas\u201d. Although the \u201cC\u00f4tes-du-Rh\u00f4ne-Villages\u201d appellation was created, the unsatisfied growers applied several times to obtain a \u201cGigondas\u201d appellation, which they finally secured on 6 January 1971. It was the first C\u00f4tes-du-Rh\u00f4ne Villages appellation to receive this honour!<\/p>\n

1980<\/h2>\n

Hilarion Roux retired, and his three sons \u2013 Pierre, the eldest, Maxime and Christian \u2013 jointly inherited the estate and set up a specific type of farming company (Groupement Foncier Agricole) that owned the vineyard, homes and woodland. Pierre and Christian had long helped their father Hilarion, who, respecting the old traditions, skilfully made a Gigondas wine which, claimed an estate brochure, would \u201clead a saint to damnation\u201d.<\/p>\n

1998<\/h2>\n

Pierre and Maxime Roux sold the estate, having carefully chosen their successors. Daniel and Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Brunier (from Domaine du Vieux T\u00e9l\u00e9graphe in Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape) became co-owners of Les Palli\u00e8res alongside their friend Kermit Lynch, who had been their US importer since 1978.<\/p>\n

2003<\/h2>\n

The vat room underwent a complete overhaul. Crop intake, temperature control system, vats \u2013 everything changed.<\/p>\n

2007<\/h2>\n

The single red wine produced at Domaine Les Palli\u00e8res became two plot-specific cuv\u00e9es: Les Racines and Terrasse du Diable.<\/p>\n

2012<\/h2>\n

A goat farm was established at Les Palli\u00e8res, the idea being to involve the herd in the life of the place. The first cheeses were made\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Here are some of the prices at which the estate\u2019s wine has been sold since 1820:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • 1891 45 francs per hectolitre<\/li>\n
  • 1893 1 franc per bottle<\/li>\n
  • 1919 400 francs per 228 litre barrel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    For sale to merchants in Burgundy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • 1920 700 francs per 228 litre barrel<\/li>\n
    • 1928 725 francs per 228 litre barrel<\/li>\n
    • 1932 9 francs per bottle (0.75 litre)<\/li>\n
    • 1973 12 francs per bottle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Early accolades for Domaine Les Palli\u00e8res:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      1891 bronze medal at the Exposition d\u2019Avignon
      \n1894 gold medal at the Concours Agricole de Paris
      \n1901 gold medal (vine cultivation) at the Concours du D\u00e9partement du Vaucluse
      \n1914 bronze medal at the Exposition Internationale de Lyon
      \n1921 silver medal at the Exposition des Vins d\u2019Orange
      \n1923 gold and silver-gilt medals at the Exposition Agricole de Paris<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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      Gigondas: a blessed village<\/h1>
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      At the centre of the triangle\u00a0formed by Carpentras, Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine, at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail massif, Gigondas \u2013 which used to be administratively attached to Carpentras \u2013 has to an extent lost touch with its former capital.
      \nYet some remnants of the past still remain: a few documents; the village ramparts, most of which are still visible, together with the restored castle; and the hunting horn of Prince Guillaume d\u2019Orange, which features in the village\u2019s coat of arms.
      \nThe village\u2019s history has a strong religious element. In the 16th<\/sup> century, there were six chapels and churches in the municipality; still there today are the parish church and the magnificent remains of the Romanesque Chapel of Saint-Cosme and Saint-Damien. And for at least nine centuries, there was also a convent here.<\/p>\n

      Before the Middle Ages<\/h2>\n

      The countless coins, pottery items and roof tiles discovered throughout Gigondas, as well as a collection of capitals and columns, testify to the Romans\u2019 presence. Although the spot was indeed colonised by the Romans \u2013 the area was gifted to Roman army veterans, as proven by digs and accidental unearthings on farmland of lead tombs for cremation and the unguent vessels, statuettes, lamps, flat tiles, etc. \u2013 there are few archaeological remnants relating to vines or wine. Only a head of Bacchus was discovered in 1866, by Eug\u00e8ne Raspail \u2013 nephew of the famous chemist, physician and politician Fran\u00e7ois-Vincent Raspail \u2013 on his land at Ch\u00e2teau Raspail.<\/p>\n

      The village of Gigondas was at first called Gigundaz (1138), from the Latin Jocondatis<\/em>a toponym evoking joy and elation. Such a name was predestined for vine and wine culture, and for the development of authentic vigneron traditions over two millennia...
      \nThe veterans of the Second Roman Legion, who in the first century BC founded the Colonia Julia Arausio (i.e. the town of Orange), are thought to have established the village's first vineyards.<\/p>\n

      Middle Ages<\/h2>\n

      Five families ruled over the area of Orange from 793 AD until it was attached to France in 1731.<\/p>\n

      793-1173: family of the Counts of Toulouse
      \n<\/em>Circa 800, after the barbarian invasions and Saracen raids, the residents grouped together to form a village. During this period, the County of Orange was created by a legendary character: Guillaume au Court Nez (\u201cWilliam the Short Nose\u201d, or William of Gellone), a companion of Charlemagne.<\/p>\n

      In the 10th<\/sup> century, Orange and Gigondas were part of the marquessate of Provence.<\/em>
      \nCirca 1120, Rostang III, Bishop of Vaison, gifted to his cathedral a plot of land that included a vine in Gigondas, near the River Ouv\u00e8ze. He did so in these terms: \u201cPetro vero Alberto Gigundatis pro vinea quae sita est juxta viam publicam est inter (... otam) episcopalem et fluvium Ovic\u0153 solidis ordo dedit\u201d (\"Pierre, also called Albert of Gigondas, was given eight sous for a vine located near the public way between the bishop's mound and the River Ouv\u00e8ze\").
      \nThis is the oldest document confirming the existence of a vineyard in this terroir.
      \nIn 1150, the last member of the Adh\u00e9mar dynasty (founded by Guillaume) obtained the title of prince before handing the county to to the Les Baux family.<\/p>\n

      1173-1393: Des Baux family
      \n<\/em>1393-1530: Chalon family
      \n<\/em>1530-1703: Nassau family
      \n<\/em>1703-1731: Conti family<\/em><\/p>\n


      \n<\/em>In 1731, after the Treaty of Utrecht, under an exchange agreement between the Prince de Conti and French King Louis XV, the Principality of Orange was incorporated into the Royal Domain by an act dated 29 May 1731.<\/p>\n

      Principality of Orange<\/h2>\n

      Gigondas is one of the municipalities that for nearly eight centuries made up the Principality of Orange (1150-1731). The principality formed a narrow belt running east-west between the River Rh\u00f4ne and the Dentelles de Montmirail massif.<\/p>\n

      It also included the following communities: Causans (now part of the municipality of Jonqui\u00e8res), Ch\u00e2teauneuf-de-Redortier (now part of Suzette), Courth\u00e9zon,\u00a0Derboux\u00a0(now part of\u00a0Mondragon), Jonqui\u00e8res, Montmirail, Orange, Saint-Andr\u00e9-de-Rami\u00e8res (now part of Viol\u00e8s), Suzette and Viol\u00e8s.<\/p>\n

      The next clue as to how the Gigondas vineyards, jewel in the crown of the Princes of Orange, developed dates from the 14th century. In July 1341 one of these princes, Raymond V des Baux, granted the villagers various freedoms in return for a 20th of the wine they produced for a seven-year period; but he retained his right to dispense high and low justice.<\/p>\n

      In 1376, notarial records indicated the existence, in the locality of Les Bosquets, of \u201cvinea culta\u201d; and a deed dating from 1380, in the records of the notaries of Oussan, stated that vines covered an area extending from the Chapel of Notre-Dame des Palli\u00e8res down to the River Ouv\u00e8ze.<\/p>\n

      Renaissance<\/h2>\n

      The same records show that, throughout the 15th century, the vineyards stretched from Les Garrigues to Trignon, also taking in the localities of Beaumette and Coste de Saint-Cosme.<\/p>\n

      In 1563, Gigondas was captured by the Calvinists.<\/p>\n

      In the next century, the Village Council drafted its by-laws and approved them on 14 November 1591. Article 45, entitled \u201cConcerning those who sell wine in bulk who must sell it to the other villagers\u201d, set out very clearly the terms of this wholesale trade: \u201cAny person wishing to sell wine in bulk to persons from outside the village shall be bound to sell to the inhabitants of said place, in quarts or pichets, for the price at which they would have sold it to said strangers, subject to paying XII deniers per person and time should they infringe said rule; and whosoever has wine to sell, and sells it in bulk to inhabitants, shall be bound to sell it to all villagers, in quarts ou pichets, to fill barrels, at the price at which would have sold it in bulk, in order to top up said barrels, subject to paying a fine of two sols should they infringe said rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Modern times<\/h2>\n

      In September 1791, the National Constituent Assembly passed a decree, as proposed by the parliamentarian Armand-Gaston Camus, to \u201cincorporate into the French Empire the two combined States of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin\u201d.<\/p>\n

      In June 1793, the French National Convention passed a decree \u201crelating to the creation of an 87th department, named the Department of Vaucluse\u201d.<\/p>\n

      The Department of Vaucluse was thus formed permanently by combining: the City-State of Avignon; the Comtat Venaissin, including the papal enclave in the Dr\u00f4me, which became the Canton of Valr\u00e9as; the principalities of Orange and Mondragon; the Viguerie [administrative court jurisdiction] of Apt and the County of Sault.<\/p>\n

      Five of the six bishoprics in the new department \u2013 Apt, Carpentras, Cavaillon, Orange and Vaison \u2013 were abolished, leaving only the Archbishopric of Avignon.
      \nPope Pius VI, who faced the threat of the French armies led by General Bonaparte invading the other Papal States, signed the Treaty of Tolentino on 19 February 1797.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

      GIGONDAS: ITS WINES, ITS LAND, ITS PEOPLE<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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      Jean-Baptiste Amadieu (historian), Louis Barruol (vigneron), Ilka Kramer (photographer), V\u00e9ronique Raisin and John Livingstone-Learmonth (journalists), Georges Truc (geologist)<\/em><\/p>\n

      2012<\/h2>\n

      The Roux family, several members of which have been consuls of Gigondas, is one of the oldest in the district. Hilarion Roux was one of the first in Gigondas to organize a union for village wine production in the first decades of the 20th century. Among the many prizes he won during his winemaking career, he was awarded the gold medal at the \u201cConcours G\u00e9n\u00e9ral Agricole\u201d (France\u2019s annual nation agricultural competition) in Paris in 1894. Generations of the Roux family have been involved in shaping the vineyard into what has been described by one enthusiast as a \u2018superb garden of grapevines clinging to the side of the Dentelles de Montmirail\u2019.\n\nLes Palli\u00e8res is a very large terroir at a slight altitude (250-400 metres), surrounded by 110 hectares of Mediterranean woodland that also belongs to the estate. Here, the sandy marl mixed with limestone gravel plucked from the Dentelles by water erosion has a very distinctive structure and texture. With its north to northwest orientation and its semicircular sloping topography, Les Palli\u00e8res is much more than a microclimate \u2013 it\u2019s an \u201cenvironment\u201d that has been created by the Roux family over the centuries.<\/p>\n

      Everything here is different: the plants seem to have found an ideally well-suited terrain. Arriving at Les Palli\u00e8res by the scenic road that wind along the valley of Trignon, this Proven\u00e7al harmony is immediately apparent: one feels welcomed by nature and the people that look after it.
      \nA vertical tasting of old wine from Les Palli\u00e8res with the late-lamented Pierre Roux was always a great moment, particularly the extraordinary vintages of 1971, 1978 and 1985, which reached the heights of elegance and complexity.<\/p>\n

      In 1998, Daniel and Fr\u00e9deric Brunier (Domaine du Vieux T\u00e9l\u00e9graphe in Ch\u00e2teaneuf-du-Pape) became the owners of Les Palli\u00e8res with the American wine importer Kermit Lynch, sealing an association that had begun 20 years earlier when the first cases of Vieux T\u00e9l\u00e9graphe were exported to the United States. Daniel and Fr\u00e9deric Brunier\u2019s knowledge of Grenache alongside Kermit Lynch\u2019s long experience as a wine importer (he has been importing wine from several Gigondas estates since the 1970s), were the best guarantee the Les Palli\u00e8res would continue to be a touchstone for Gigondas wines.<\/p>\n

      The first years were dedicated to putting the 25-hectare vineyard in order. Two hectares of vines were pulled out and replanted. In 2002, a new wine facility was built, based on the innovative ideas of the estate\u2019s new owners, but guided by the needs of the terroir and its old vines. The new features include a gravity-flow winery and a winemaking process that now allows each parcel to be separately turned into wine, giving each the attention specific to its character it deserves. The wine is matured using traditional oak foudres (large casks). The wines are not filtered. \nKermit, Daniel and Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric share an approach based on respect for the importance of terroir. Their work is precise, meticulous and, above all, focused on the future. Silence is golden. The Grenache (80%), Syrah, Cinsault, Mourv\u00e8dre and Clairette of Les Palli\u00e8res wouldn\u2019t know how to be treated any other way. Les Palli\u00e8res' wines could not be anything else but great wines from a great terroir. So it is fortunate that the history of the estate has been given a new dynamic while preserving the best aspects of its past. Domaine Les Palli\u00e8res\u2019s new direction will ensure that wine enthusiasts around the world will be able to \u2018taste the terroir of Les Palli\u00e8res\u2019 for a long time to come.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Histoire 1er si\u00e8cle avant J.-C. Le village de Gigondas s\u2019est d\u2019abord appel\u00e9 Gigundaz (1138), en latin Jocondatis, un toponyme qui \u00e9voque la joie et l'all\u00e9gresse. Un nom pr\u00e9destin\u00e9 \u00e0 la culture de la vigne et du vin, au d\u00e9veloppement d\u2019authentiques traditions vigneronnes depuis deux mill\u00e9naires... On attribue en effet aux v\u00e9t\u00e9rans de la seconde l\u00e9gion...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290,"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions\/290"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lespallieres.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}