Cut White Flowers, Lemon Thyme, Saline

Rousillion / White / Macabeu / Biodynamic

The grapes on the plot are harvested manually and are prepared following the philosophy of minimal intervention, by fermenting them with native yeasts. The final wine is aged for 8 to 9 months on lees in 500 litre barrels and in a 12 hectolitre foudre, and is bottled after being clarified by natural decanting. A little reductive on opening it can benefit from decanting or a shake in the glass or just enjoy as is if reduction is something you get on board with. This is a GREAT alternative to white Burgundy at a fraction of the price for similar quality. 

Notes on the Producer

Cyril bought 5ha of old vineyards in 2002 (since when he has gradually added another 2.5ha). Right from the outset he chose to work outside the Roussillon-Villages appellation, as he believes that rules such as prescribing a minimum 30% syrah and/or mourvèdre make for wines that are contrary to the tradition, soil and climate of Roussillon. Hence why the wines are labelled as Cotes Catalanes IGP. 

Since he took over, Cyril has searched for a natural balance in the vineyard to help give finer and more complex expressions in his wines. To avoid soil compaction he uses no tractors, just a motorized hand-held cultivator and a horse to help with ploughing. He also sows Legumes between the rows of vines, rolling them and folding them back in the summer so that they act as a reserve of humidity, helping each vine to suffer less from the heat and keep enough freshness in its grapes, which is crucial as the village of Latour-de-France is known to have the driest non-irrigated vineyard in the world (an average of just 250mm of rain a year.)