Famous for its BROTTE signature and its famous international brand “La Fiole du Pape”, whose bottle shape is inspired by the effect of the mistral bursts on the vine stocks, the Brotte house, created in 1931, is finally a family story whose pioneering spirit is inscribed in the genes. The fifth generation is coming, which coincides with a new breath.
Who does not know the twisted bottle, powdered with blown sand, with its parchment-like label? “Our activity was initially developed thanks to this emblematic Châteauneuf-du-Pape, "La Fiole du Pape", created in 1952 by Charles Brotte, my grandfather, one of the pioneers also of great export. It's a bit like our Champagne wine since it's not declared vintage,” explains Laurent Brotte, 4th generation who turned the gamble into a master stroke. Today, 1.3 million bottles of this Fiole Père Anselme and its little sister of the Côtes-du-Rhône are sold each year in 90 countries.
Laurent Brotte has been running the company for 20 years now, his father Jean-Pierre is still present in the supervisory board. But Brotte is not only Père Anselme, there are also the properties that the family has in the Rhone Valley, on which the Brotte signature floats: the flagship of the family, the 15-hectare Domaine Barville in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Domaine Grosset of 19 hectares in Cairanne; and the Chateau de Bord de Laudun with a nice work on the white wines in small sunny terraces. “These Brotte wines, as well as our negociant wines, in these same appellations, and on the other great terroirs of Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Crozes Hermitage, Saint Joseph, Côtes du Rhône ... are distributed since 2018 by the trade subsidiary of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA (Rothschild France distribution) to the French professional sector,” Laurent says. And when asked what history will keep from his passage in the family business, the answer is not long in coming: “In terms of notoriety, we are kind of outsiders, in progression. All our wines have been rewarded in the last 4 years, with pretty notes from the Anglo-Saxons, which allows us to export more to the United States. And above all, we have made progress over the last 20 years on controlling upstream, by forming partnerships with wine growers for the purchase of wine, with precise specifications for our brands and the construction of a winery to have stability in quality”.
The plot-selection wines are also aged in the house's cellar. To sublimate the fruits of the cuvées, focusing on roundness without the aromas of wood, the maturation takes place mainly in oak tuns. Since 2015, the estates have been certified Terra Vitis, a reference French environmental label. “We have also launched an organic Côtes du Rhône cuvée and are developing our Wine Museum, which today welcomes more than 20,000 people a year.”
The figures given by Laurent speak for themselves: 2.7 million bottles were sold last year (against 1.1 million in 2010), 75% of which have been exported. The next 2019-2023 program provides for a 25% growth with new agents to strengthen the team of 40 employees. The company in which now entered the 2 boys of the family, Thibault, graduate of a master in commerce, in charge of the market development, and Benoît, graduate in viticulture and enology, who integrated the technical part and reinforced the trade side with his mother, is definitely in great condition!
Bénédicte Chapard
Brotte, Domaine Barville, Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge 2017
Dark ruby red colour of beautiful density. Intense nose with aromas of sour cherries, blackberries and redcurrants, vanilla and cocoa. A rich and dense palate, fleshy, tasty and of a good depth, full-bodied and very solid; fine tannins, long and expressive finish. A beautiful wine, expressive and of beautiful volume, which accompanies a refined gourmet cuisine based on slow-cooked red meats.
Brotte, Secret Barville, Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge 2017
Dark ruby red of beautiful density. A very fine and complex nose with aromas of sour cherries and blackberries, fresh plums, vanilla and cocoa. A dense and rich palate with volume and powerfulness, a solid body and firm tannins. Long and expressive finish with aromas of liquorice and garrigue. A great open and distinguished wine that accompanies gourmet cuisine based on roasted red meat.
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