Famille Isabel Ferrando

  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France
Famille Isabel Ferrando (Saint Prefert)
  • 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

  • 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.”

    —Jeb Dunnuck

Isabel Ferrando’s reputation for outstanding wines has grown every vintage since her first release in 2003.  She purchased Domaine Saint-Préfert from the Serre family, who was one of the first to estate-bottle in the appellation in the 1930’s; at that point, the domaine was 13.2 hectares, all in the Les Serres lieux-dit, south of the village of Châteauneuf.  In 2004, she purchased more land and started making the 100% Grenache cuvée Colombis, primarily from the lieux-dit of Colombis, with sandy soil; this was bottled as Domaine Isabel Ferrando.


Ferrando has always farmed organically and starting in 2019, the vines are being managed following biodynamic methods. She has very old vines in her holdings: the Grenache vines average more than 70 years old, and she still has some of the original Mourvèdre that was planted in the 1920’s. Throughout each parcel, all thirteen varieties are co-planted, something that her mentor, Henri Bonneau told her is, “the beginning of the complexity [of her wines.]” 


Starting with the release of the 2020 vintage, Isabel Ferrando is beginning a new chapter in her story as a winemaker. Both of her properties, Domaine Saint Prefert and Isabel Ferrando will be joined under the name Famille Isabel Ferrando. One reason for the change is that her daughter, Guillemette will join Mme. Ferrando at the winery after she finishes her studies. And the other, after working for 18 years with the Serres vineyard, which surrounds the Saint Prefert winery, and studying its the potential, Ferrando has decided to follow the tradition of blending and will now make a single wine from that site. She came to the conclusion that the blend of the fruit from ""Favier"" and ""Giraud"" makes a greater wine than either wine on its own. Some wines remain unchanged, "Colombis", Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, the Vieilles Clairettes, F601, and the Côtes-du-Rhône are still in the line up. Three wines are becoming one and there are some new toys in the winery, including amphora, Stockinger foudres, and glass demi-johns. We are very excited for the new Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge and Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2020. As Jeb Dunnuck noted after tasting the new wines, “…one thing that remains constant is the incredible quality that continues to emerge from this talented winemaker.”"

Image Producer PRODUCT Description Country / Region

DB7380-21
Organic
DE:97 JD:94 JS:93 WS:93 FS:94
Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
2021
Clairette
A new expression of Chateaneuf-du-Pape Blanc in the 2021 vintage. It’s a blend of 60% Clairettes and 40% Roussanne from the Serres lieu-dit...
France

DB7362-20
Organic
JD:94-97 DE:97 JS:95 WS:95 WA:94-97 FS:97
Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Colombis”
2020
Grenache
“Colombis” has become an iconic wine of Ferrando’s. It’s quite unique in her portfolio as it’s the only Châteauneuf that does not comes...
France

DB7381-20
Organic
JD:98+ DE:95 WS:94 JS:94-95 WA:93-95 FS:93
Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
2020
Grenache
This cuvee comes entirely from the Les Serres parcel and is primarily the fruit that used to make up the “Favier” and “Giraud” wines. 100%...
France

DB7350-21
Biodynamic
WS:90
Famille Isabel Ferrando Côtes-du-Rhône “Beatus Ille”
2021
Grenache
Beatus Ille is mostly Grenache blended with about 15% Cinsault from a parcel named, La Lionne, in the Sorgues district, just at the...
France

DB7353-20
Organic
JD:96-98
Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc “Vieilles Clairettes”
2020
Clairette
100% Clairette Rose from 80-100 year-old vines in the Serres lieu-dit. Very low yields of 15hl/ha. Fermented and aged in glass demi-johns...
France

DB7362-19
Organic
JD:97+ V:96 WS:94
Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Colombis”
2019
Grenache
100% Grenache from three parcels: Colombis with a sandy soil, les Roues with a predominately clay soil, and le Cristia with a sandy soil....
France

DB7368-20
Organic
JD:96 JS:93-95
Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape “F601”
2020
Cinsault
It took me 16 years of observation and learning to develop a deep understanding and a personal relationship with my terroir, guided by...
France

DB7351-20
Organic
JD:93
Famille Isabel Ferrando Saint-Prefert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
2020
Clairette
A blend of 60% Clairette and 40% Roussanne from the Serres lieu-dit with galets stones, gravel, and blue clay. Aged for six months in large...
France

DB7359-19
Organic
JD:97-99 WS:97 VM:97
Famille Isabel Ferrando Saint-Prefert Châteauneuf-du-Pape "Charles Giraud"
2019
Grenache
“Giraud” comes from the oldest vines in two parcels, les Serres and le Cristia. Les Serres is very warm and has the famous galets and...
France

DB7368-19
Organic
WS:94
Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape “F601”
2019
Cinsault
When I first became acquainted with Saint Prefert in 2003, the notion of terroir was just an abstraction, the soil from which the vines...
France