Our history

Since 1929, our united and passionate family in intimately linked to Gigondas' history

1929
Birth of Pierre Amadieu Winery

In 1929, Pierre Amadieu was 19 years old and already busy working the 7 hectares of vines of the small family vineyard in Gigondas. That very year, he decided to make and then sell the first wine bearing his name, and the winery Pierre Amadieu was born.

He is one of the firsts to print the name of the appellation on his bottles and obtains from 1932 for his cuvee Clos de la Paillouse a golden medal in the Agricultural Concours of Paris.

Auguste and Pierre Amadieu
Auguste and Pierre Amadieu
Cellar Gigondas Pierre Amadieu
Cellar Gigondas Pierre Amadieu

Romane in 1947

Vineyard in Romane in 1958

Romane today

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Cellar in old railway tunnel
near Pierrelongue,
in Drôme

Sheep grazing in Romane

Olive trees and cypresses of Florence border the vineyard

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1950
Acquisition of the Romane and La Machotte properties

Our grand father is a pioneer in several domains selecting wines, then buying in the 1950s, two properties, historically linked: Romane and La Machotte. We so become the largest estate of Gigondas with 137 ha of vines (338 acres), surrounded by 200 ha of garrigue and holm oaks which assure a natural protection for the vineyard.

From 1945, in order to make wine in best he builds a wine making cellar and a subterranean wine ageing cellar near the village. It is dug on two levels underground insuring constant temperature and hygrometry. Then, in 1955, Pierre buys an old railway tunnel near Pierrelongue (Drôme), to age his wines. This privileged place of 160 meters long received 159 oak casks of 30 hectolitres, allowing an exceptional ageing. Logistic constraints lead to the closure of the site in 2000, but it might be that this great ageing tool returns in activity tomorrow to follow the development of our company.

At the same time, the cellar of the farm of La Machotte is equipped with oak casks still used today and receives up to 2000 hectolitres of wines. Wines take advantage of a natural air conditioning, where 13th century ceramic vats are still visible.

Our grand father is a wine grower and a builder but also a precursor. Before all the current environmental talk, up to 1200 sheeps were pasturing in the vineyard in off-season, providing at the same time natural manure and controlled ground cover planting, in order to obtain a natural and healthy vineyard.

He is also worried about vineyard landscape impact and decides to plant on plots’ borders traditional olive trees and cypress of Florence.

1965 & 1975
Jean-Pierre and Claude
take up the reins in the vinyard and the cellar

Fascinated lover and defender of this terroir, our grandfather has played a decisive role for the appellation. Everywhere, he takes up to publicize the name of Gigondas and our wines are quickly appreciated, figuring on wine list of the famous French boat cruise Le France or of Air Africa company during several years.

At the end of his business studies, his elder son Jean-Pierre Amadieu joins him and structures a strong sales network, granting all importance for export, restaurants and retailers sales.

Then in 1976, some years after the consecration of Gigondas appellation, his second son Claude settles down and works the vineyard. He inherits from him  environmental respect and runs the vines as naturally as possible. He elaborates the first “Marc de Gigondas” and creates our own vines’ nursery in order to obtain exactly the type of vines we wanted. With his wife Muriel, they develop private sales and for the pleasure of wines lovers start the cuvee Domaine Grand Romane, fortunate blending of old vines of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.

Jean-Pierre Amadieu

Claude Amadieu

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Muriel, Claude and Jean-Pierre Amadieu
Muriel, Claude and Jean-Pierre Amadieu

Claude and Pierre Amadieu

Today
The third generation takes over the winemaking

Since 1989, Pierre Amadieu Jr (Jean-Pierre’s son) is on the head of the company. Agricultural engineer (Agro Paris Tech) and oenologist, he keeps on carrying the family estate and improves every year wines quality. His will is to look for elegance, length on the palate and a “Burgundy” freshness in our wines. A careful parcels selection allows us today to elaborate different cuvees of Gigondas which express each in their way our exceptional terroir.

Wine lovers too, three of his cousins lately join the company: Henri-Claude, the eldest son of Claude and Muriel, heads the sales department since 2012. His brother Jean-Marie, also agricultural engineer and oenologist, works closely with Pierre in the winery for the management of vinifications and blends since 2015. And their sister Marie has just joined the family adventure in January 2018. She takes care of private customers and the cellar door.

Jean-Marie and Henri-Claude Amadieu

Marie Amadieu

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2019
90th anniversary of the first Pierre Amadieu cuvée & our winemakers passionate family

We are committed to constantly improving our know-how and infrastructure. At the beginning of 2019, we inaugurated our new ageing cellar. Built in natural stone, it can hold 75 casks of 225 litres and 21 tuns of 30 and 50 hectolitres.

We also expanded our winery in 2014 with the construction of a building dedicated to labelling and order preparation.

In July 2019, we took over the Domaine les Hautes Cances in Cairanne. This young appellation is particularly close to our hearts; we have been linked to it with the Les Hautes Rives cuvée since 2014. The vineyard is composed of 18.6 hectares divided into Cru Cairanne (12.5 hectares), Côtes du Rhône Villages (4.9 hectares) and IGP (1.2 hectares).

To pass on, to improve, to develop, are the watchwords of a close-knit, responsible and conscientious family.

Portraits...

Our labels over time...

A few pieces of history....