Isabel Ferrando, a former banker, bought Domaine Saint-Préfert in 2003. The vineyard was planted in 1930 on gravel and pebble soils on the southern side of the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Isabel has been producing three cuvées of Châteauneuf-du-Pape red since the beginning of her winemaking career. Her wines reflect the appellation's warm, well-drained and sunny terroir to perfection, and are therefore imbued with candied, chocolatey and empyreumatic notes. Thanks to this determined woman's endeavours, this sustainably-run property is one of the top names in the appellation.

This exceptional wine has been subject to the utmost care, both in the vineyards and in the cellar. The grapes benefit from a terroir of pudding stones and gravel. In the cellar, the grapes – already sorted once in the vineyards during harvesting – are sorted a second time. Isabel Ferrando allows the fermentation process to happen naturally. She performs gentle vatting without excessive extraction. She then matures half of her wines in concrete vats, and the other half in 600-litre demi-muid casks used two or three times before. Unusual aromas – spices, prunes and black olives – are apparent. On the palate, the wine opens out with smoothness and delicacy. Its tannic structure is very evident, yet tends to soften over time. For this reason, the best approach is to tuck it away for 15 or 20 years before rediscovering it with a grilled meat dish and fried chanterelle mushrooms. The sweet-toothed may also like to pair it with a chocolate fondant.