Famille Isabel Ferrando: The Art of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Famille Ferrando · Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Saint Préfert · 2022

Grenache Blend · Rhône Valley, France · 750ml · Introductory Offer

#10 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2025

Producer & Terroir

Famille Isabel Ferrando, formerly known as Domaine Saint-Préfert, captures the richness, elegance and distinctive character of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. After a career in finance, Isabel Ferrando made her debut vintage in 2003, building the estate’s reputation through careful vineyard management and terroir-driven winemaking.

In 2020, the estate entered a new chapter under the name Famille Isabel Ferrando. Working alongside her daughter, Guillemette, Isabel combines traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape methods with a focus on balance, purity and elegance.

Tasting Notes

The 2022 Saint Préfert Rouge is supple and generous, with ripe cherry, juicy plum and delicate lavender. Silky tannins give it a smooth, mouthfilling texture, while grilled garrigue, Mediterranean herbs and subtle spice bring savory complexity. An elegant, lingering finish balances the warmth and richness of the Southern Rhône.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

Wine Spectator, 94 Points: Supple and mouthfilling, with silky tannins supporting ripe cherry, plum and delicate lavender notes. Classic grilled garrigue accents carry through the lingering finish, capturing the elegance and generosity of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Food Pairings

Pair with roasted lamb, herb-crusted beef, duck breast, grilled meats or slow-braised short ribs. Its savory herbal character also complements Mediterranean dishes, wild mushrooms and aged cheeses.

Wine Details

• Producer: Famille Ferrando
• Cuvée: Saint Préfert Rouge
• Vintage: 2022
• Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC
• Region: Southern Rhône, Rhône Valley, France
• Grapes: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre
• Style: Red wine
• Bottle size: 750ml
• Offer: Introductory Offer

Famille Ferrando · Châteauneuf-du-Pape F601 · 2023

100% Old-Vine Cinsault · Rhône Valley, France · 750ml · Special Order — Pre-Sale Price

Producer & Terroir

F601 puts Cinsault at the center of Famille Isabel Ferrando’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape story. Sourced from vines planted in 1928 in the historic Saint-Préfert F601 parcel, this limited-production cuvée offers a distinctive alternative to the appellation’s more familiar Grenache-led reds.

Since her debut vintage in 2003, Isabel Ferrando has built her work around understanding the estate’s individual terroirs. Today, working alongside her daughter Guillemette, she continues that pursuit under the Famille Isabel Ferrando name. F601 is a particularly personal expression of that vineyard focus.

Tasting Notes

Smoky black fruit, roasted herbs, licorice and Provençal spices shape an aromatic profile with a savory hint of tapenade. The medium- to full-bodied palate combines layered fruit with fine tannins, purity and finesse, as described in Jeb Dunnuck’s review below.

Winemaker Notes

Isabel Ferrando: "It took me 16 years of observation and learning to develop a deep understanding and a personal relationship with my terroir, guided by instinct and feeling. With this vintage, I have launched “F601”, the pure and absolute expression of my experience with my parcel F601 of Saint Prefert and the old-vine Cinsault, planted in 1928, a singular and unique expression. At this point in my life, I am thrilled to share my enchantment for this remarquable wine.”

100% old-vine Cinsault planted in 1928 made with whole clusters in one used demi-muid barrel. Very limited production and packaged in a special wooden box.

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

Jeb Dunnuck, 96 Points · November 2025: "From vines planted in 1928, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape F601 (100% Cinsault) was vinified with 40% whole clusters and aged in a single amphora. It offers smoky black fruits, roasted herbs, licorice, Provençal spices, and even a hint of tapenade, showing beautiful complexity and nuance in its aromatics. Medium to full-bodied, focused, and layered, it has fine tannins, beautiful purity, and finesse. Tasted twice with consistent notes."

Food Pairings

Consider roasted duck, herb-crusted lamb, game birds, veal or wild mushroom risotto. These savory dishes complement the wine’s herbal aromatics and refined texture.

Wine Details

• Producer: Famille Ferrando
• Cuvée: F601
• Vintage: 2023
• Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC
• Region: Southern Rhône, Rhône Valley, France
• Vineyard: Saint-Préfert, F601 parcel
• Grape: 100% Cinsault
• Vines planted: 1928
• Style: Red wine
• Bottle size: 750ml
• Presentation: Special wooden box
• Availability: Special Order — Pre-Sale Price

Expert Reviews

Isabel Ferrando’s reputation for outstanding wines has grown every vintage since her first release in 2003. As a woman owned business and winemaker, Isabel has built a tremendous reputation producing highly acclaimed wines. 

"Proprietress Isabel Ferrando has taken her Saint Prefert estate to France’s highest level, and she’s unquestionably making some of the most profound wines on earth today, including both reds and whites.”   —Wine Critic - Jeb Dunnuck

"Hard work. Subtle tweaks. Responsible farming. An uncompromising dedication to quality. Isabel Ferrando keeps doing things the right way, and her wines are dramatic proof.” —James Molesworth, Wine Spectator.

"one thing that remains constant is the incredible quality that continues to emerge from this talented winemaker.” Jeb Dunuck. 

The Wine Spectator 95 Points | A perfumed, elegant and complex version, with inviting, high-toned notes of red currant and cherry draped with warm licorice. The palate starts out supple, then solid ballasts of graphite and fine tannins firm everything up for a fresh, focused finish that wafts with smoked sandalwood. Brown bread, cinnamon and nutmeg add complexity, with penetrating mineral depth. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. 

Famille Ferrando · Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis · 2023

100% Grenache · Rhône Valley, France · 750ml · Introductory Offer — Pre-Sale

Producer & Terroir

Isabel Ferrando’s reputation for outstanding wines has grown since her first release in 2003. Colombis brings together Grenache from three parcels, Rayas, Les Roues, and Colombis, offering a focused expression of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Tasting Notes

Rose petals, violets, black raspberries and dark cherries meet licorice, pepper and dried herbs. The critics describe a wine of depth and concentration, balanced by a perfumed character, fine tannins and a seamless, lingering finish.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

Wine Spectator, 95 Points: Expressive, perfumed and ripe, with a glossy stream of bitter cherry and steeped plum anchored by bolts of iron. Warm spice, licorice, sanguine and grilled anise notes merge in, with a vivid flash of alpine herbs and singed alder smoke. A weighty, well-structured red that’s still unwinding yet is impressively approachable

James Suckling, 98 Points: Enormously deep and concentrated, but this is so subtle and defies easy description. The superfine tannins give this an incredibly fine texture, the richness building in the finish without adding anything to the impression of weight. From three old-vine grenache vineyards that have limestone, sand and galet soils. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Jeb Dunnuck, 97 Points: Black raspberries, ground pepper, white pepper, and sappy floral notes all make an appearance in the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Colombis, another remarkable wine from this family. With medium to full-bodied richness, it's incredibly well-balanced, has ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. As with the estate’s other cuvées, it reminds me of their 2020. As usual, this cuvée is 100% Grenache that’s from a mix of three parcels (Rayas, Les Roues, and Colombis). It was not destemmed and was brought up in a mix of concrete, foudre, and clay jars.

Vinous, 96 Points: The 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis is magnificent, bursting from the glass with prominent rose petal, crushed violets, strawberry compote, spicy licorice, dried herbs and minty shadings. Enveloped in velvety tannins, the perfumed 2023 is shaping up to be a wildly alluring Colombis, closing with a subtle phenolic kick on the focused finish. I can’t wait to taste it from bottle.

Wine Advocate, 94 Points: A pure Grenache Noir planted in the north part of the appellation and vinified with 30% whole bunches, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis has turned out beautifully. Evoking aromas of rose, dark cherries, spices and dark berries, it’s medium- to full-bodied, seamless and satiny with a beautifully ethereal finish.

Pairing Suggestions

Try with herb-roasted lamb, duck breast, braised beef or roasted mushrooms.

Wine Details

• Producer: Famille Ferrando
• Cuvée: Colombis
• Vintage: 2023
• Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape
• Region: Rhône Valley, France
• Grape: 100% Grenache
• Style: Red wine
• Bottle size: 750ml
• Offer: Introductory Offer — Pre-Sale

Famille Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc "Saint Prefert" 2024 · Rhône Valley, France

Critical Acclaim — Vintage 2024

Jeb Dunnuck, 95 Points — Based on 70% Clairette and 30% Roussanne and barrel fermented in demi-muid and foudre, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc is gorgeous, pure, and layered. It offers honeyed white peach, white flowers, subtle croissant, and spice aromatics. Medium to full-bodied and incredibly layered, it has remarkable acidity and a great finish that shows sensational purity and length.

The Wine Advocate, 94 Points — Ethereal, fresh and perfumed, the 2024 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc opens with aromas of white fruits, herbs, spices and confit citrus. Medium- to full-bodied, pure and seamless, it is layered and textured, leading to a long, penetrating finish of great finesse. All precision and delicacy, this blend of 70% Clairette and 30% Roussanne is a stunning wine. It matured for six months in a combination of barrels, foudres and amphorae.

Producer

Isabel Ferrando’s reputation for outstanding wines has grown every vintage since her first release in 2003. As a woman owned business and winemaker, Isabel has built a tremendous reputation producing highly acclaimed wines.

Jeb Dunnuck — “Proprietress Isabel Ferrando has taken her Saint Prefert estate to France’s highest level, and she’s unquestionably making some of the most profound wines on earth today, including both reds and whites.”

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator — “Hard work. Subtle tweaks. Responsible farming. An uncompromising dedication to quality. Isabel Ferrando keeps doing things the right way, and her wines are dramatic proof.”

Jeb Dunnuck — “One thing that remains constant is the incredible quality that continues to emerge from this talented winemaker.”

Details

• Producer: Famille Ferrando
• Country: France
• Region: Rhône Valley
• Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape
• Grapes: 70% Clairette, 30% Roussanne
• Vintage: 2024
• Size: 750ml