There are currently no producers for this region
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Laurence Feraud doesn’t like to be hurried, and neither, she argues, does her wine; her Chateauneuf-du-Pape is released a year later than at most other domaines. Laurence is the irrepressible force of nature behind her family’s wines. The Feraud family have been involved in winemaking since the 17th century, but it was only when Laurence returned from wine school in 1987 that she convinced her parents to constitute Domaine de Pegau. Under her stewardship, Pegau has taken its place in the top tier of Chateauneuf estates.
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A visit to the People`s Palace which is Andre Romero`s Headquarters is always entertaining. Andre the hospitable was out buying our lunch when we arrived and so we were left to rootle about in the cellar for a bit. Then Frederic, Andre`s son, started us on the tasting. The wines had just been sulphured prior to the bottling four weeks later and were still full of carbonic gas - so could have been forgiven for showing less well than they did. Resplendent as ever in his AC Rasteau track suit the man himself appeared lugging a car full of carrier bags. -
There is a reason why every wine we stock has made it to the list and - whatever the category - there is no point in having a bunch of identical clones populating it. Saint Cosme has its very attractive, medium-term drinking place; Bouissiere has that incredible fruit. Pallieres, too, has lovely fruit, but - above all - structure and ageability. This is not an easily approachable, early drinking wine, but one which needs a minimum of five years in the cellar. The Bruniers are implacable on this point and don`t care whether you or anyone else love it or hate it during that adolescent period.
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Formerly a banker, Isabel Ferrando gave up her career to buy St Prefert in 2002. After the harvest rains that year, she must have felt like one of the 12 year olds who manage my pension. Since then flood has turned to drought and her subsequent vintages have been superb. Her wines have come to our notice partly because of the domaine`s vines. Old as is common, but 40% Mourvedre, which is distinctly uncommon. They have a gamey quality imparted by that Mourvedre and are seriously structured, too.
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Franck Balthazar makes his best wines from 2 very old parcels of vines on the granitic slopes of Les Chaillots above the village of Cornas – the Cornas Chaillot includes some vines planted in 1911. The domaine was founded by Balthazar’s grandfather, and has always been in family hands, growing over time. In 2006 Balthazar acquired a further prestigious parcel in the Chaillots vineyard from his uncle, the great Noel Verset, who was then winding down his own domaine. Ploughing is done by horse, and the domaine converted to fully organic viticulture in 2010.
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Domaine Gerin was born in 1983, when they bought a single plot in the heart of Cote-Rotie. Four years later they bottled their first wine, and have been producing highly regarded red and white wine from the Northern Rhone ever since. Today, the property has expanded to over 17 hectares and brothers Michael and Alexis are at the helm. Since 2020 they have been farming organically and continue to produce high class wines which are powerful and structured, yet also elegant and refined. (DS 04/04/22)
