Château de Rouanne Rouanne et Les Crottes Vinsobres 2021
A Grenache of beautiful finesse, roundness and profound elegance, showcasing layers of blackberry fruit with hints of spicy gingerbread, graphite and salinity.
The lieu-dit of Rouanne et Les Crottes always demonstrates excellence, irrespective of the vintage, it showcases the estate’s finest qualities. A Gallo-Roman site in the Vinsobres cru Rouanne et Crottes was mentioned in the 17th century Casssini maps. It appears that the vines have found the perfect location to grow. The soil is made up of clay, which retains a little water to nourish the vines, but never too much due to the rolling hill, where the incline is not too steep. There is a lovely south-eastern aspect, ostensibly facing towards the rising sun. This vineyard site always produces a reasonable crop, which ripens well but not too quickly, and never rots. Vines need balance and regularity to produce fine wine, and Rouanne et les Crottes offers just that.
The grapes underwent whole cluster, traditional fermentation in concrete tanks, with wild yeast. Following a gentle, minimal intervention vinification, the wine was aged in a combination of Burgundy casks and demi-muids for 12 months, of which 15% were new, 50% were second passage and 35 % third passage. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
Château de Rouanne is a magnificent, historic estate located in the picturesque appellation of Vinsobres in the Rhône Valley. It was acquired in 2019 by renowned winemaker Louis Barroul of Château de Saint Cosme fame, who is renovating the historic Château de Rouanne and revitalising its vineyard. The estate boasts a contiguous vineyard of 62 hectares surrounding the Château, situated on a unique terroir with a distinctive geological profile of red clay, limestone marls and sand. The estate vines were planted between 1955 and 1975 and the massal selection of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre vines offer substantial genetic diversity, resulting in complex wines. The proximity of the Alps, which begin to rise just five miles away, creates a cool micro-climate, set within a temperate Mediterranean climate and imparts great freshness to the wines. Louis Barruol carefully crafts the wines using natural ferments to showcase the stunning terroir. The wines show incredible salinity - a hallmark of his signature style.
