Château de Peña
Vin de Pays Pyrenees Orientales | France
Five growers jointly own the vineyards of the
original Château. Another five also grow wine full time for a
living. Every other family in the village owns a few acres, mostly
of Vin de Pays. The heart and soul of Peña is Joseph Gonzalez
(Tony), who is a mere employee, owning no vineyards and therefore
not a Coop member. High intelligence, a great work ethic and
meticulous attention to detail assured that his future would not be
limited to hauling hoses. A brilliant flair for winemaking and an
instinctive and profound knowledge of the vineyards and terroir have
propelled him to his current position. One of Tony’s greatest
contributions to Cases de Pene is his instinctive understanding of
what the vines require. During the miserable summer of 2004 he once
again insisted that the growers field prune severely. He has no
authority to do this, but the growers know that it would be folly to
ignore Tony’s advice. Most of Roussillon had a huge crop of dilute
wine. Peña had a normal crop of satisfyingly hefty wine.Several
years ago the Coop accepted Jean-Christophe Bourquin, whose
vineyards are partly in Cases de Pene and partly in a neighboring
village, as not only a member but Coop President. Jean-Christophe
brings decisive intelligence and high ambitions for the Coop to the
job. He is an integral part of Peña’s increasing success.
office (206)
332-1995