Le Petit Maxima, Brunel de la Gardine

About this wine from

Rhône, France

Chateau de La Gardine is a tiny estate immediately west of the great Chateauneuf du Pape, which obviously needs no introduction. Although winemaking has been recorded there since the mid 1700s, La Gardine as we know it began when the Brunel family bought the estate in 1947 and set about increasing its quality and production. La Gardine is easily recognised by its famous moulded bottle that originated in the discovery of a mouth-blown bottle during the digs to expand the cellar. The family name ‘Benjamin Brunel’, crest and motto ‘Angulus Ridet’ grace the surface, Latin for ‘corner of joy’. ‘Brunel de la Gardine’ is the ‘micro-négociant’ range set up to give access to the Brunel label and has become something of an institution for terrific value.