Châteauneuf Du Pape intensive vineyard & fine wine experience
26 Reviews
|Marseille, France
Likely To Sell Out hosted by OohProvence
9 hours (approx.)
Up to 6 travelers
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in English, French
About
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Show moreSimilar experiences
Traveler photos
Reviews
26 Reviews
Total review count and overall rating. We perform checks on reviews.
5 stars
24
4 stars
1
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 stars
0
Great guide, but the overall experience is very average and can be improved significantly.
86oleksandrb, Dec 2024
Chris was great - very knowledgeable and helpful. We liked him a lot and he made experience good. But the selection of vineyards is questionable - the last one, Chateau Fortia, while considered to have some good vines (objectively/reviews), is not really worth visiting. Nothing to see and tasting experience is far below average at best. I contacted and tried to inquire the list before the tour and was told it will be selected closer to the tour. And when I inquired closer to the tour and asked what I was really interested in I was told the selection is set and will bee great. While first 2 chateaus are worth a visit and provide and good experience (Gardine, Nerth), overall I would not recommend and would rather pick the chateaus you like and go on your own schedule.
Responses from Christopher C
Hi Alex & Kate, thank you for your comments regarding your recent experience with us. Whilst I didn’t quite understand your rating for the tour, nevertheless was pleased to hear that you were happy with us as your guides and from what you say - Château de La Gardine & Château La Nerthe both seemed to meet your expectations. Again what I don’t understand from what you say is that you were unaware of which vineyards we had selected for you both to visit - these are exactly as we mention in the descriptive on the Viator listing and were shown on your booking confirmation. From memory I do recall you asking us about other wineries recommended to you, but in all honesty Châteauneuf-du-Pape has in excess of 300 winemakers, many of whom don’t allow visits and of course - this is harvest time. It’s not practical or workable for a set tour package to be crafted individually to visit other wineries with whom either we have no close relationship nor can we guarantee what kind of format a visit might take. We have carefully crafted and chosen 6-7 reputable wine makers who all share three important things which we feel are the highlights of this tour - the history & heritage of the vineyard, the passion & excellence of their wines, the ‘terroir’, versatility & complexity of their production. Inevitably not everyone likes all the wines they taste, but across the three vineyards there is a range and diversity given that there are 13 grape varieties, the region blends its wine, but also produces single grape varieties - it’s that which makes this interesting overall.
From the 9 or 10 wines tasted at La Gardine - you’ve chosen a great selection of wines to add to your collection, and similarly from La Nerthe likewise. At the tastings, we are privileged to have special vintages which are offered to our guests which are not generally available to people who just call in. I hope you felt comfortable with each winery in that respect - even getting to meet the proprietor at Chateau La Gardine. Finally with regards to Château Fortia, I take on board your comment, but this vineyard is the last piece of the puzzle as this is the one which created the AOC appellation 88 year’s ago by Baron Le Roi who is a very important person not just in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but across the world because it’s the standard we use today to develop and protect the heritage of winemaking. It is his granddaughter that is in charge of Fortia today and her husband is responsible for their award winning wines. Sure they are quite different to the other two, but we hope the experience gives a broad perspective on this unique and interesting appellation. Finally, I hope you both enjoy our little gift and are able to take back to New York, a little of the flavours of Provence.
Amazing wine experience
Vera_M, Dec 2024
We had a great time with our guide Chris, the locations and the wines we tried were amazing! Highly recommended 💫
Vera&Tianna
Responses from Christopher C
Hello to you both and thank you for your review and super happy you both enjoyed the time we spent together. When you have time again from your busy lives in London and Milan I hope you’ll find time to come and see us again! Cordialement Christopher @ OohProvence
Intoxicated with the Pope's preferred Wine Appellation and History
anithan2024, Dec 2024
Christopher is a responsible and punctual. He made sure he managed all aspects of this tour perfectly. We visited 3 wineries and 1 chocolate outlet. Also visited the ruins of the castle in which the pope had resided and which was then used by the Germans in WW2 and mostly destroyed. Had wine tastings in all 3 wineries. As Chateau La Nerthe was our first one we spend maximum time there with the very quirky Mr Alexi who was very passionate about all things wine. Interesting that one full section was blocked out & never discovered by the German overtake in WW2.
After a fast lunch in a beautiful restaurant nearby, we visited Chateau de la Gardine with its funny bottle designs. Again the hostess lead us to wine tasting and we curbed our gulps and spat out more as we were getting intoxicated
Finally we visited Chateau Fortia the smallest and me Ms Miguenelle and team. Time being short didn't visit the storage areas and bought some wines
In between visited the Castle which was lovely and full of history, which we really loved but the heat was too much to stay longer.
Finally the Chocolate outlet Chocolaterie Castelain was comparatively a let down as we couldn't see production. Also we do not get the choicolates we prefer to be packed and weighed and given we have to take the pre-packed sets. So we did.
Mr Christopher on the other hand is knowledgeable, very interested in his line of work 7 that shows. Makes sure we are enjoying as well. Guides us on the right buys and was so wonderful to drop us off to the market center in Marseilles after a shirt stop to drop off our purchase at our hotel. He was so thoughtful to pack us some souvenirs of Provence. I would highly recommend Christopher always he is really wonderful person
Responses from Christopher C
Thank you so much for taking the time to detail your experience - it was an absolute pleasure and so nice spending time with you both and your two sons and I’m so happy you enjoyed the day and the visits to the three vineyards which are all very interesting offering some of the best wines that the appellation of Chateauneuf du Pape has to offer. I share your comment regarding the chocolate shop, unfortunately unlike some other chocolate makers, they don’t offer an option just to select one type of flavor preferring to make mixed selections which are pre-boxed. That said I’m happy you enjoyed the visit and hope too you enjoyed the chocolate when you got back home. Hope you’ll come back and visit us again - there’s a lot more to discover here in Provence. Thank you again, cordialement Christopher @ OohProvence
An amazing day in Provence
Michael_S, Dec 2024
The whole experience from start to finish was great. Getting to see three wineries, each with its own distinct style was highly enjoyable. Christopher was very knowledgeable and a great guide. Getting a chance to walk around Avignon and stopping for chocolate was also very nice. It was a perfect day! Highly recommend!!
Responses from Christopher C
Thank you so so much - super happy you both enjoyed the day we spent together and especially pleased you enjoyed the visits and tastings in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The wines are exceptional and so varied between one wine maker and another. Hope to see you again and thank you again. Cordialement Christopher @oohprovence.com
Great day
Z963VQchadm, Dec 2024
It was a fabulous day tasting wine and learning about Châteauneuf du Pape. Laurence was a great guide and we had a great day with him.
Responses from Christopher C
It was lovely meeting you and thank you so much for taking the time to write a review - it means a lot to us and is a great way of sharing your experience with other travellers. The day passes all too soon, so I hope you'll find time to come back and visit us again. You'd be most welcome. Laurent OohProvence
Home
Wishlist