Your stay among the vines
Château de l'Insolas · 20 min from Châteauneuf-du-Pape · 20 min from Avignon
The papal vineyard — 20 minutes from the château
In 1923, Baron Le Roy de Boiseaumarié, a winemaker and jurist from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, drafted the first strict wine production rules. In 1936, Châteauneuf-du-Pape became France's first AOC — and the model that all world viticulture has copied since. This land between Avignon and Orange, covered in rolled galets inherited from the ancient Rhône riverbed, produces wines of a power and complexity unique in the world.
From Château de l'Insolas, you are 20 minutes from the village and its 300 estates. Close enough for a morning of tastings. Far enough to return to peace every evening.
Ripe black fruits, spices, garrigue, liquorice. Full body, high alcohol (14.5–15.5°), velvety tannins. Top cuvées: 10 to 30 years ageing.
White flowers, peach, beeswax, almond. Rich and mineral. Among the most complex dry whites of the Southern Rhône.
Round stones from the ancient Rhône riverbed. Store heat by day, release it by night. Powerful, concentrated wines with great ageing potential.
Fine sedimentary deposits. Grenache reveals a floral, silky character. Fine, elegant wines, gentle tannins. Domaine de la Janasse (Chaupin).
Soils rich in iron and minerals. Solid, structured wines, black fruits, leather, spice. Great ageing capacity. Château de Vaudieu.
Bring minerality and freshness. Precise, elegant, taut wines. Favour aromatic whites. Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes.
The oldest estate to bottle its wines (1776). 3 formats: Découverte (€25), Terroir (€50), Candlelit Passion (€100, max 6). Free tasting May–Sept without booking.
100 ha biodynamic since 1974. New winery opened spring 2025. Uses all 13 varieties. Free visit + tasting by appointment.
Official Maison des Vins. Guided tasting of 5 wines (€25, 45 min). Over 250 appellation references. Recommended first stop for every visitor.
Founded 1891, 5th generation (Brunier). 70 ha on the La Crau plateau, pure galets. Tastings Mon–Fri 9–12 / 13:30–17:30.
Highest terrace in the appellation. View over Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail. 3-level cellar, VIP tours available.
500 m² collection: ancient presses, winemaking tools, corkscrews. Free cellar visit + tasting (~1h30). Open year-round except 1 Jan and 25 Dec.
From Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the entire Southern Rhône vineyard is accessible in under an hour. An ideal 2–3 day circuit starting from the château.
15th edition. Over 100 estates. Public wine fair + gastronomy market. Salle Dufays.
Official opening of harvest. Period costume processions, folk groups, open estate days. Festive evening at the Vinothèque.
When the grapes begin to change colour. Producers' markets, vineyard activities, open-air tastings.
In the 14th century, the Avignon popes — Clement V, John XXII — actively developed the vineyard around their summer residence. John XXII ordered mass planting and named the wines "Vins du Pape". In 1893, the village dropped its old name "Châteauneuf-Calcernier" for Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The papal château, damaged in 1944, now offers spectacular panoramic views of the vines, the Rhône plain and Mont Ventoux.
Château de l'Insolas, 20 minutes from Avignon and 20 minutes from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is the ideal base for a wine tourism stay in the Southern Rhône. 4-star rooms or full bastide privatisation. Avignon TGV 20 min away (Paris in 2h40). Head out each day to the vineyards and return to the estate's peace every evening.
Château de l'Insolas · 20 min from Châteauneuf-du-Pape · 20 min from Avignon
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the world's most famous and most imitated wine appellations. Its Grenache-based reds, raised on rolled galets deposited by the ancient Rhône, are 70% exported to the United States, United Kingdom, Southeast Asia and Japan. The appellation also produces rare white wines (6% of production) among the most complex of the Southern Rhône.
The village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape welcomes thousands of wine enthusiasts and professionals each year. The VINADEA Vinothèque, Château La Nerthe, Château Beaucastel, the Musée du Vin Brotte and Château Mont-Redon offer visits and tastings for all levels. Les Printemps de Châteauneuf-du-Pape (April, 15th edition in 2026) and Le Ban des Vendanges (September) are the two major events not to be missed.
Château de l'Insolas offers 4-star accommodation in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, equidistant from Avignon (20 min) and Châteauneuf-du-Pape (20 min). The property has individual rooms and a bastide for privatisation for 8 people. Avignon TGV station is 20 minutes away: Paris in 2h40, Lyon in 1h. Direct access from the A7 and A9 motorways.
