Vacqueyras
Vineyard
Area: 5 ha / 12.35 acres.
Average yearly production: 150 hl.
Grapes: 70% Grenache - 15% Mourvèdre - 15% Syrah.
Vineyards average age: 45 years.
Culture method: Reasonable culture, with mechanical treatment of the soil without chemical fertilizer, without any synthetic product.
Vine exposure: West.
Soil: Clay-limestone.
Harvest: Hand harvesting; grapes are sorted out on the trunks and on a sorting table too.
Looking for the highest maturity.
Winemaking
Varietal vinification: Grenache/Mourvèdre in the same tank and Syrah in an other tank.
Tank: Concrete tank.
Cold maceration: no.
Yeasting: no, only natural yeasts.
Maximum temperature: 33°C.
One pomping-over a day, punching of the cap and delestage* if needed.
Fermentation lenght: 45 days.
Maturing
50% in concrete vat and 50% in demi-muid (6 hl french oak barrel) during 14 months.
Malolactic fermentation in demi-muid and concrete vat.
One batonnage* a month.
Bottling
No fining and no filtration.
Bottling at the end of Winter: February/March.
Storage of filled and corked bottles in air conditioned cellar.
Wine characteristics
Jewel among great wines of the Southern Rhône Valley, where soil, grape varieties and passionate rigour result in power, high expression, balance and freshness.
*Delestage: it consists to draining wine during maceration into a second tank and pumping it back very rapidly on the top of first tank.
*Batonnage: stirring of the lees in a barrel.