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Region: France - Southern France
Grapes: 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre
Alcohol: 15%
Notes on the Wine
This is the most important wine of the domaine in terms of production and the wine that we feel offers exceptional value for its quality. It is, then, the workhorse of the estate. The vineyards are situated on the massif of the Dentelles de Montmirail and much of the vineyard surface is laid out in terraces to accommodate the steep slope of the hill. The soil is clay and limestone and the “encepagement” is 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre (more or less). Harvest and vinification is done parcel-by-parcel and the final blend is done after a long cuvaison designed to obtain the finest and most profound extracts. The wine is bottled unfiltered after eleven months of aging in cement cuves. Annual production is on the order of 30,000 bottles of which 3600 to 4800 bottles are shipped for our use in the USA. Certified organic.
Notes on the Producer
The Domaine de Fenouillet is situated in the village of Beaumes de Venise at the foot of the "Dentelles de Montmirail", the heart of the finest vineyard sites in the southern Cotes du Rhone. The Domaine has been in the hands of the Soard Family for many generations, until 1989 the grapes were harvested and immediately sold to the growers' cooperative. Vincent and Patrick Soard took over direction of the domaine in 1989 and, at that point, began to vinify their harvest and bottle the wines now made at the estate. There are 16 hectares planted to grapes: 5.3 hectares devoted to Muscat to make the fabled Muscat de Beaumes de Venise; 7.7 hectares planted in the appellation of Cotes du Rhone Villages "Beaumes de Venise"; and 3 hectares within the Cotes du Ventoux appellation. Average production levels are 34 hectoliters per hectare yielding approximately 5,000 cases of wine per year. The vineyards for the Beaumes de Venise Rouge are situated at an altitude of 350 meters and rest in soil composed of clay and chalk. The grape combination for the principal reds is: 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% old vines Mourvedre and 10% Cinsault.
