In the end all that is left is what we give
Rosé, Ardèche
60% Syrah 40% Viognier
Separately direct press of both Syrah and Viognier. This press was shorter and faster than what we normally do, meaning around 2-3 days of each. The juice was blended the days after the pressing. Full fermentation and élevage in our old wooden foudre over winter and spring on the lies. Soutirage a week before bottling in the beginning of June. The time in the old wooden barrel, allows the wine to breath and get rid of the young, sweet and simple fruit driven style that some of our previously rosés are defined by. As our little Domaine is getting older, it’s something we prefer. This is a rosé with a deeper and more rich aromatic profile, as well as a little hint of tannins. A rosé, that might be more suited for a glass in a bar or at a dinner table, than at a terrasse or on the beach.
Forever and Ever Child
Sparkling Rosé, Ardèche
100% Syrah
2023 is a vintage that fermented faster than any vintage we’ve ever seen. Most white wines finished the fermentation, before we had even started harvesting the reds. This sparkling rosé is a 12 hours direct press of Syrah. The following fermentation, for only a few days, took place in a fiberglass cuve and from there it went into bottles. In bottles the fermentation lucky slowed down and finished by creating the bubbles over winter. We have left this Pétillant Naturel on its lies for a little more than a year, which add a little bit of the bitterness. A bitterness that you normally find in wines with longer élevage in barrels. This brings us a less expressive and young fruits with smaller and more delicate bubbles. We have made the dégorgement in fall of 2024 just before the release.
Weightless fingers
Rosé, Ardèche
50% Grenache Noir 50% Grenache Blanc
Direct press of both red and white grapes. A long slow vertical press over five days. All grapes are from our vineyards placed on the hillside southeast of Valvignères – the area called Valgrand. We harvested Grenache Noir and Blanc the same day and mixed the two varieties directly in the pressoir. Following fermentation has taken place in a fiberglass cuve. The short élevage over winter and spring has been on the lies, which explains the more complex bitterness and aromatic profile.
As we do often, the grapes were harvested very ripe. This gives of course a higher alcohol, but at the same time aromas that are less likely to found in wines made from Grenache. We think, in this case specifically, of flavors like grapefruit and rose leaves. These flavors, combined with the very light rosé color – closer to white than rosé, places our first Rosé of 2023 a little bit out of the category Rosé – If you’re more comfortable by calling it white rather than rosé, we’re completely okay with that. We bottled the wine in June, directly from the cuve, without making any soutirage.