The Château Maucoil estate dates back to the Roman Empire, when the site was planted with vineyards to supply Caesar’s legions and colonists. The château itself was established in 1624 and is located on the plateau of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, with vineyards extending into the neighboring Côtes-du-Rhône Villages district.
Over the centuries, Château Maucoil has been under the stewardship of several renowned winemaking families. Today, it is owned and managed by Bernard Duseigneur, a specialist in biodynamics and owner of the Duseigneur estate. Bernard’s family began planting vines in Algeria at the end of the 19th century, when it was a French colony. He grew up in the Southern Rhône, where his father famously planted vines on north-facing hillsides—an unconventional choice at the time, as most growers favored flat land. This bold decision gave the wines added freshness and balance. Bernard’s father worked the vineyards using traditional methods, without chemicals, so when Bernard’s brother eventually took over, organic certification was easily achieved, as the practices were already in place.
Bernard did not join the family business until the age of 40, after a career in banking and a diving accident that profoundly shifted his perspective on life. He immersed himself in wine—studying the market, tasting extensively, consulting with biodynamic farmers, and learning how to improve both wine quality and vineyard health. Convinced that biodynamics was the ideal path forward, he trained with François Bouchet—who, before his passing, also mentored Nicolas Joly. With this foundation, Bernard began converting his family’s struggling estate, ultimately reviving it.
In 2022, Bernard acquired Château Maucoil and began transitioning the already-certified organic estate to full biodynamic practices. Spanning the communes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Orange, and Sorgues in the Vaucluse, the estate comprises 25 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 18 hectares of Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. Château Maucoil boasts three distinct terroirs and is one of the few estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to cultivate all 13 permitted grape varieties.
The estate’s red wines are full-bodied and structured, yet consistently fresh, fruit-forward, and refined. Its white wines from both Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages reveal exceptional aromatic complexity and supple textures.
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