Domaine des Anges, Côtes du Ventoux

'The best wines being made in the region' (Robert M. Parker, Wines of the Rhône Valley, Dorling Kindersley)

'All these wines are wrongly priced - but in the consumer's favour' (Matthew Nugent, Evening Herald)

Click to see the wines

Domaine des Anges' winemaker Ciaràn Rooney was one of the first people we met professionally when we started BRW in 1999. He struck us as quiet and intensely serious man (he still is where wine is concerned) but he was still new to the job and with both Malcolm Swan and Gay McGuinness (neither of whom could be said to be introverts) present it was difficult for him to do much more than tell us about the wines. Over the years, however, he seems to have warmed to us (despite our being English) and we regularly get together to outdo each other in both wine and cuisine. Ciaràn has a finely-tuned palate which is evident in his wines and he is reassuringly not afraid to embrace modern ideas. The result: some wonderful sun-kissed wines.

Background: Englishman Malcolm Swan purchased the Domaine de Notre Dame des Anges in Mormoiron, Vaucluse in 1973. He took the estate to the top of the appellation, retiring in 1998. The estate's current owner, Kilkenny man Gay McGuinness, appointed Dubliner Ciaràn Rooney as the estate manager and winemaker. Since Parker made the comment below in The Wine Advocate, Domaine des Anges has been regarded as an estate to watch and take seriously.

Winemaker profile: Originally from Dublin, Ciaràn's family moved to South Africa whilst he was still at school. Almost by accident he studied Oenology and Viticulture at Stellenbosch University and gained experience all over the world prior to his arrival in Mormoiron just in time for the 1998 harvest. 

Ciaràn's CV includes stints at top Bordeaux châteaux such as Lafite Rothschild, the Pauillac premier cru classé, Rieussec (Sauternes) and, coincidentally, Château du Seuil (Graves) as well as leading  New World estates such as Tim Knappstein Wines and Tyrells in Australia, Kumeu River (New Zealand), Argyle Wines and Cakebread Cellars (USA) and Thelema and Neil Ellis Wines in South Africa. This international background is very much evident in Ciaràn's wines, particularly his top red, Clos de l'Archange, renamed L'Archange from 2000.

"L'Archange" Blanc was first released from the 2004 vintage. It is a gorgeous oak-aged (for seven months) Roussanne made from the estate's oldest vines. At under £10 per bottle it is a formidable rival to Beaucastel's Vieilles Vignes Châteauneuf-du-Pape (well over £50) or Grand Veneur's "La Fontaine" Châteauneuf-du-Pape (over £20).

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