Blend/Varietal: 60% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 15% Cinsaut, 10% Clairette, 5% Others
Tasting note: Deep salmon pink. Elegant floral and fruit notes on the nose. A fruity and well-structured wine with aromatic finesse on the palate. A pleasant acidity which is balanced by fleshy fruitiness and body.
This cuvée is produced using only Syrah vines, planted in the southern part of the Ardèche region. Average production: 30,000 bottles per year.
Grape variety: Syrah 100%
Winemaking: 100% of the grapes are destemmed before the wine-making, which takes place in closed tanks for approximately 15 days. Extraction is helped by daily pumping over. Fermentation temperatures are controlled and maintained between 82°F (28°C) and 86°F (30°C). After pressing and racking, malolactic fermentation takes place in tanks.
Maturing takes place in vats in order to preserve the fruit aromas. The wines are racked regularly to allow natural stabilisation of their components. This “Syrah” cuvée is bottled after blending and a light filtration.
Tasting notes: The colour is a deep ruby red. The nose reveals powerful aromas of wild berries and spices, truly typical from the “Syrah” grape. On the palate, strong flavours of blackcurrant and red berries surround a smooth fruit on the back of the wine. The finish has lots of personality.
The vineyards are planted on alluvial reddish clay that lies on terraced slopes of sun-scorched rounded quartz stones.
Winemaking: After destemming and crushing, the grapes are put into concrete vats for alcoholic fermentation. This lasts approximately 10 days and is followed by an 8 to 10 days maceration to complete the extraction. After devatting and pressing, malolactic fermentation is carried out in vats.
The wine is drawn off under aeration, to enable natural stabilisation of the components to take place. It then goes into 60 hectolitre oak tuns for a period of 8 to 14 months.
Tasting notes: The colour is a deep garnet red. To the nose, the “Haute Pierre” cuvée is characterised by strong spicy aromas, which show a rich, powerful body wrapped around with a more delicate yet tightly knit tannic framework. Rich and unctuous on the palate, the finish reveals some intense, liquorice like flavours.
Grape Varieties: Syrah (majority) and Grenache.
Winemaking: The entire crop is destemmed. Fermentation and maceration take place in closed vats for approximately 15 days. Daily pumping over ensures the proper extraction. Fermentation temperature is controlled, and kept at between 82°F and 86°F (28°C and 30°C). After devatting, pressing and racking, malolactic fermentation is carried out in stainless steel vats.
The wines are kept in vats to preserve fruit aromas. They are racked regularly in order to allow their components to stabilise naturally. The “Saint Esprit” cuvée is bottled after 8 months of ageing.
Tasting notes: Its deep colour has a dark, plum-like hue. The nose is classically Syrah, with berry fruit, violet, liquorice. It has a full, rounded palate with delicate tannins, making it unique in the “Côtes-du-Rhône” category.
The “Saint-Esprit” is a blend of wines whose fruits mainly come from the right bank of the Rhône. Average production: 15,000 bottles (75 cl.) per year.
Grape variety: Grenache blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Viognier are the main varieties of the blend.
Winemaking: After pressing and cold settling for a period of 24 hours, the musts are racked and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at maximum temperature of 64°F (18°C).
Malolactic fermentation is avoided, in order to preserve natural balance and freshness in the wine, so to enhance its finesse. The wine is then stored in stainless steel tanks until bottling. Prior to bottling, the wine is lightly fined and filtered, in order to provide it with the perfect stability.
Tasting notes: The colour has a golden straw hue with green tinges. The main aromas are reminiscent of white flowers and yellow fruit, enhanced by touches of exotic and citrus fruit. On the palate, the wine is alert, seductively suave and fresh.