When Syrah grapes grown on a gravely soil of the right bank of the Rhône river meet very ripened Grenache bunches grown on limestone terroir...

The Syrah grape grown on a gravely soil of the right bank of the Rhône river is perfectly blended with very ripened Grenache bunches grown on a limestone terroir. Harvests start only once the taste of the berries allows us to expect the perfect balance: very aromatic fragrances, a deep colour and a very silky structure. Each bunch is picked up by hand and vinified in stainless steel tanks in order to keep the full expression and the freshness of each variety.

This deep-coloured wine displays delightful fragrances of blackberry, blackcurrant along with raspberries. A full and delicate mouth, very intense with velvety tannins ending on a perfect freshness. Appreciate now or within the next 5 years et room temperature (around 18°) with smelly delicatessen, a rib of beef cooked on vine-shoots, cheeses...

Vine is cultivated in Rhône Valley for more than 2000 years, it is one of the oldest French vineyard. It found there good natural conditions, and its location on both sides of the Rhône river, which was a privileged axis of communication, guaranteed the fame of its products.
In the north, the first vineyards appeared thanks to the Romans whereas in the south they developped later with the Popes on the left bank and with the French Kingdom on the right bank.

The Controlled Appellation

The Côtes du Rhône Appellation is born in 1937. The vineyard recovers 56 000 hectares (the second of France in surface), concerning 163 villages and 6 "départements". The minimum percentage of alcohol is 11%. Yields have to be lower than 50 hectoliters par hectare. 23 grape varieties are allowed, nevertheless the mainly cultivated are:

• for red wines: Syrah (only grape authorised in the northern part of Rhône Valley), Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan.
• for white wines: Marsanne, Roussane, Viognier, Clairette, Bourboulenc, white Grenache.

Terroir

The north of the Rhône Valley is mostly composed of granite and limestone (from Vienne to Valence). The south (from Livron to Avignon) is mainly composed of limestone, clay, sand and sandstone. Dry and hot, the climate gives stronger wines.