We first met Antoine (Anthony) Jaume at Moore Bros Wine Company in Wilmington, DE. He was signing bottles of wine that people purchased from going to the wine tasting of Domain Jaume wine offered that day.
Antoine in the foreground signing.
From the time we first decided to go to southern France as part of our vacation, we also decided it would be a great opportunity to visit Domain Jaume. We wanted to see where their wine came from that we were buying here in the US. As we had set up the “hub approach” for our journey, we were looking to make it part of a day trip from Hôtel Arène in Orange, France.
As we knew we would be arriving off season, we had sent word ahead of our trip as to when we’d be arriving. When we showed up they were still in production, and it was just before lunch. Understandably they needed some time to set everything up for us. They requested us to “grab a bite” at a local restaurant and then return. They recommended we eat at L’Auberge du Petit Bistrot. We were thrilled. Not surprisingly, the bistro served Domain Jaume wine in their Domain Jaume glasses.
The Facility
Domain Jaume production facility and tasting room sits at the base of the French Alps, located in the quaint little village of Vinsobres in the Drome Region of France. They offer tastings of their fabulous wines. With a total of over 100 hectares (almost 250 acres) under vine, they are considered a fairly large winery. The acreage is split over the countryside in many independent parcels, some as small as 4 hectares (approximately 10 acres). Domain Jaume produces a good variety and volume of white, Rose, and red wines.
When we met up with Antoine in Vinosobres, you could tell he remembered us from back home. He even had our Journey Moore Often business card readily available! Antoine was very kind to give us a tour of the production facility. He spoke some English and us some French. We both spoke “wine”, so we were definitely able to communicate.
Their production facility is located off the same parking area as the tasting room. The entrance to the production facility is very unassuming. It starts by walking through a mandoor of what appears to be a one car garage.
Once inside, there are stairs that take you down to the facility. You can tell the administrative building and production facility are built into the side of the hill where the village resides.
Production
The door at the bottom opens up to their large underground facility. This is where they bring the grapes from the harvest. As is evidenced from the pictures, we saw firsthand that the facility is way bigger than what you’d expect. Since they had just harvested the grapes, the wines had just been pressed and set up in the tanks to process.
From there they put the wine in barrels for final processing.
The Wine
Since we had already tasted a few of their wines in the US, we requested our tasting to comprise some of the other wines available. Nadia did a fabulous job making that happen, and we were not disappointed! Of course we had to buy some wine while we were there as some of the wines aren’t available in the US.
The tasting room is relatively large as well. It offers the opportunity to taste individually, but it also a separate area large enough for pretty good sized groups. Since we were there off-season, there was only one other couple who walked in while we were there.
Even though all Domain Jaume wines are good, their red wines are what we like the best. They all have a wonderful bold flavor, low acidity, and the finish leaves you with some notes of fruit. Not a fruity flavor, rather hints of fruit on the palate.
So if you find yourself in southern France, definitely look up this particular winery, you’ll certainly enjoy yourself!