Domaine Les Chancel

After a successful career in Pharmaceuticals and having spent much of his time on the road – Pierre Chancel was looking for his next entrepreneurial project, something that would keep him at home to spend time with his wife, Anne and his family. With ambitions to live and work with a direct connection to the land, Pierre and his wife made the decision to buy and run a family winery. The project was underpinned by the desire to make wine as well as find and preserve an estate that would last for generations to come.

After an extensive search of what Pierre says was countless properties, the family fell in love with a 30 h.a. property which is now divided into 12 h.a. of vines, 12 h.a. of forest land and the remainder being their home and wine production facilities. Located in picturesque Provence, above the village of Mormoiron in the foothills of Mont Ventoux, Les Chancel sits at an altitude of 350 m and benefits from several microclimates (Charles the winemaker, who spends much of his time in the vines says there are at least 4). Most notable is Les Chancel’s “white wine valley” which is a 7 h.a. plot that mirrors the climate of the Loire Valley, and perfect for Chenin Blanc.

Les Chancel’s commitment to producing a large number of white wines is unique within the Ventoux AOC. Most notably is Pierre’s decision to plant and produce a 100% Chenin Blanc and preserve the vines from the very rare Carignan Blanc (there is only 300 ha of this in France and most is in the Languedoc). Les Chancel focus on whole bunch – hand harvest practices, fermented by parcel with minimal sulfites added, indigenous yeasts, light extraction and generally low fermentation temperatures.

2022 marks their 5th vintage at the winery, the winery has been organic since 2021. After seeing success in France at some of the most prestigious starred restaurants, Pierre and Anne have agreed to allow us to bring a small quantity of their wines to the US market. Their desire is not to become a large commercial winery but to make high quality wines in the styles they love and to have the opportunity to share them with those that will enjoy the fruits of their labor. Throughout the year, Pierre and Anne host winemaker dinners on site with local chefs, open to the public to showcase the bounty of the region.