Vacqueyras 2012

AOP Vacqueyras Red

Awards

92 pts Wine Advocate
16,5/20 Jancis Robinson
88 pts Wine Spectator

Tasting

Rich purple hue. Cherry and strawberry on the nose which carry through the palate, together with spicy and “garrigue” aromas, typical of the terroir. Well-structured with smooth tannins. The finale is fresh and appetizing (May 2014).

Food & wine pairings

Roast Pigeon with vegetables
Braised lamb

Detailed information

Vintage

After a dry and cold winter, the rainy spring covered the deficit in water. Strong thermal amplitudes in April and May. The Mistral wind and the rain of end August caused a drop in temperatures and grapes matured slowly. We have waited until the 24th of September to harvest at optimum maturity.

Yield : 27hl/ha

Grape varieties

83% Grenache, 17% Syrah

Terroir

Grenache in sandy marl of the Miocene period. Syrah from the “Garrigue” zone, on alluvial terraces near the Ouvèze river (Quaternary period). This blend of grape varieties and soils gives structured wines, with typical aromas of spice and “garrigue”.

Winemaking

Manual harvesting. Crushed and destemmed. Light pump-overs during prefermentation.

4 “rack-and-return”, then 1 pump-over per day during the 21-day maceration. Runoff and separation of the free-flow and press wines. Malolatic fermentation. Reintroduction of a portion of the press wine during the blending process. 6 months elevage : the Grenache in tank and the Syrah in barrel.

Bottled at the Domaine on July, 11th 2013.

Production : 9.000 bottles.

ABV: 14.5%. Vegan wine.