Dom Brial Rivesaltes 'Tuilé' Hors d’âge

The Côtes Catalans IGP is located in the Roussillon amphitheatre-shaped topography, which is open to the Mediterranean on one side and surrounded by three mountain ranges: the Corbières to the north, the Pyrenees to the west, and the Albères to the south. In geological terms, Roussillon endured enormous upheavals in the tertiary and quaternary periods, which created a complex variety of soils, subsoils and a multitude of terroirs. The terroir ranges from the Quaternary Terraces with red pebbles resting on shallow soils, on a clay subsoil with low water reserves; Les Arènes- sandy, silty soils from the Tertiary era, and the ‘Terres Rouges’, shallow clay-limestone soils which are iron-rich which are found at higher altitudes, combining cooler mesoclimates and a long ripening period. The Gobelet and Cordon de Royat trained vines are sustainably farmed, pesticides are not employed, trees and crops are replanted, biodiversity programs and wildlife conservation programmes are in place; the entire philosophy is to leave as little negative impact on the earth as possible.

The grapes were carefully selected, gently pressed and the must was cold settled. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts, in temperature controlled concrete vats. ‘Mutage’ took place to arrest the fermentation, through the addition of alcohol while the sugar levels were still high, preserving the natural sweetness of the wine. The wine was aged in old, used French oak barrels for five years- the length of time required for an ‘hors d’âge’ wine.