Châteauneuf-du-Pape, from the papal castle to the winegrowing village

From the castle, vineyards and the Rhône valley

From the esplanade, vineyards fill much of the horizon. Mont Ventoux stands out to the east; on the other side, the plain slopes towards the Rhône. From this height, the castle watched over routes through the area and overlooked the farmland.

A castle older than the Palais des Papes

The popes settled in Avignon from 1309. John XXII already knew Châteauneuf, having stayed here as Bishop of Avignon. Once pope, he had the castle built between 1317 and 1333, before work even began on the present Palais des Papes.

Behind its defences, the residence had painted walls and decorated tiled floors. Stonemasons, carpenters, ironworkers and glaziers worked on the building. Some materials came from the surrounding area; timber arrived by river from the diocese of Geneva. These decorations have disappeared; an old drawing displayed on site shows the scale of the castle and its towers.

Why is the castle in ruins?

In 1563, during the Wars of Religion, the village was looted and burnt. The castle suffered further damage after being sold during the French Revolution and divided among several owners, with its stones reused in other buildings. In the late 19th century, Joseph Ducos, the mayor and a winegrower, opposed its demolition and secured its listing as a historic monument in 1892.

The ruins bear above all the marks of the Second World War. German troops used the keep as an observation post and ammunition store. In August 1944, they blew it up as they retreated. The open side of the tower now exposes its floors and vaults behind the façade still standing above the village.

Descending towards Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption

At the foot of the keep, stone steps lead down towards the first houses. Walls draw closer together and wine-shop signs appear. The narrow streets lead to Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption.

Long before work began on the papal castle, a first Romanesque church was built here in the late 11th century, within the village walls. John XXII had a chapel dedicated to Saint Martin added in 1321. The present bell tower stands on the site of a former defensive tower where the community kept its archives.

Inside, large stone arcades separate the central nave from the side aisles. The building was enlarged several times, notably between 1853 and 1859 with the addition of two side aisles. Only part of the chancel retains remains of the original church.

Rue “rompe-cul” and the old village passages

The descent continues along Rue de l’Église, beneath a vault and then between façades and steps. Its steep slope earned it the nickname “rompe-cul”, from the Provençal “Roumpo Qiéu”, roughly meaning “break your backside”. A local joke has it that you can still hear the curses of those who slipped here.

In the Middle Ages, several families shared the houses of the upper village. Covered passages, known as “soustets”, gave access to their homes.

Rue Joseph-Ducos and the town hall

Further down, Rue Joseph-Ducos leads to the town hall, recognisable by its clock turret. The building has housed the municipal administration since 1764; its ground floor also served as a school until 1850. Under the Ancien Régime, three consuls, elected for one year by the heads of households, administered the village.

Joseph Ducos, the mayor and winegrower who defended the castle ruins, also had the village’s name changed. Until then, it was called Châteauneuf-Calcernier, a reference to its lime kilns. In 1893, it officially became Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a name already associated with its wines.

The Grande Fontaine and the former Avignon gate

At the lower end of the street, Place du Portail opens out around the Grande Fontaine and café terraces. The former Avignon gate, also called the Grand Portail, marked the village’s main entrance. Equipped with a drawbridge in the Middle Ages, it was demolished in 1842 to allow the village to expand.

Mentioned in a document of 1635, the fountain is probably older. Its basin supplied residents and animals; a washhouse stood beside it until 1977. When the spring failed, residents had to walk down to the Souspiron fountain or even fetch water from the Rhône.

Different soils, different wines

At the foot of the hill, paths cross the vineyards seen from the castle. Between the rows of vines, the soil is visible around the bases of the plants. The plots change with the seasons, from young spring leaves and summer grapes to autumn colours, then gnarled wood after pruning.

Rounded pebbles deposited by the ancient Rhône cover some terraces. They store heat during the day and release some of it at night. Beneath these stones, clay can retain water deep in the ground. Other plots lie on sand, sandstone or limestone, giving the appellation a range of different soils.

Soil contributes to the style of the wines: sand is particularly associated with reds with fine tannins, while pebble terraces tend to produce more full-bodied wines. Growers can blend wines from several terroirs or highlight an individual plot.

A great wine among France’s first AOCs

Grenache plays a major role in the red wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, often alongside Syrah and Mourvèdre. The lesser-known whites combine fullness and freshness, using varieties such as Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. The appellation’s thirteen traditional grape varieties allow growers to make wines in different styles.

Hand harvesting, compulsory grape sorting and yields limited to 35 hectolitres per hectare govern production. Each estate then makes its own choices in blending, winemaking and ageing.

From the 1920s, growers, alongside Baron Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié, defended the vineyard’s boundaries and production rules. On 15 May 1936, their wines became one of the first six appellations d’origine contrôlée recognised in France.

Choosing your wine

In the village, wine merchants sell wines from several estates and vintages. Vinadéa, the appellation’s wine shop, brings together wines from many producers. Other shops are tasting rooms belonging to a single estate and present its own wines.

At a producer’s, tastings focus on the estate’s own wines, whether the tasting room is in the village or on the property. The conversation offers a chance to discuss its plots, blends and working methods. A vineyard or cellar visit may sometimes complement the encounter.

The Vinothèque also organises guided tastings of wines from several estates. It presents the appellation’s history and skills, along with a collection of tastevins, the traditional wine-tasting cups.

La Véraison festival

Véraison marks the start of grape ripening, when the berries change colour. It gives its name to the village’s summer festival. Founded in 1985, the event brings residents, winegrowers and shopkeepers together with performers and craftspeople who fill the streets with medieval scenes.

Winegrowers open their tasting rooms, and visitors can taste wines alongside costumed processions. According to local legend, the Grande Fontaine then begins to flow with wine as the sovereign pontiff passes.

Continue towards Avignon and the Rhône vineyards

To the north, Roman Orange offers another historical walk, from the triumphal arch to the Roman theatre and Saint-Eutrope hill. Further into wine country, Cairanne combines an old village with another Rhône cru. To the south, Barthelasse Island brings you back to the Rhône and views of Avignon.

In Avignon, the Rocher des Doms garden offers a shaded walk above the Palais des Papes, with views over the Rhône and its valley.