The winery is located in the municipality of Châteauneuf du Pape Cedex in the French region of Rhône. The origins of the estate date back to 1770 during the reign of King Louis XV (1710-1774), when François Establet acquired a plot of land in Châteauneuf Calcernier. His descendant Alexis Establet bought vineyards in the Escaïrons district in 1836 and his son Georges invested in the commune of La Gardiole, the current centrepiece of the estate. The Moulin de l'Arbre, a historic flour mill in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is also a landmark of the Domaine du Grand Tinel. It began producing and trading wine from what was then known as "La petite Gardiol".
In 1958, the "Saint-Paul" estate in the south of the appellation was acquired. The subsequent owner, Lucien Jeune, was mayor of the town from 1944 to 1965 and became known worldwide in 1954 thanks to an unusual decree he issued. This prohibited flying saucers from flying, stationing or landing in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In the 1960s, the marriage between Christiane Establet and Jean-Pierre Elie Jeune sealed the alliance between the two owner families. The vineyards were merged in 1972 and the Domaine du Grand Tinel was created. Today, the business is run by Béatrice, Isabelle and Christophe Jeune.
The vineyards cover a total of 69 hectares, including 32 hectares of historic plots surrounded by strawberry trees, cypresses, oaks and almond trees. This part has been awarded the "High Environmental Value" certificate since 2020. The red wine varieties Grenache Noir (Garnacha Tinta), Syrah, Mourvèdre (Monstrell) and Counoise, as well as the white wine varieties Bourboulenc, Clairette, Muscadel (Muscat Blanc), Roussanne and Grenache Blanc (Garnacha Blanca) are cultivated. In winter, the soil is fertilised by grazing sheep. Pheromones are used to control pests in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
The product range comprises the two labels Domaine du Grand Tinel (50 hectares) and Domaine de Saint-Paul (19 hectares), each with different AOC wines Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône. The Domaine de Saint Paul comprises 14 hectares in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area and 5 hectares in the Côtes du Rhône area. The vineyards have been cultivated according to certified organic viticulture rules since 2012.
After the selective grape harvest at cool temperatures in the morning, the grapes are gently transported to the cellar with dry ice protection for further processing in order to avoid any oxidation. Depending on the type of wine, the wines are fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks, concrete vats and various wooden barrels (e.g. demi-muids). Many of the estate's old vintages are stored in an extensive wine library.
