Christopher Piper Wines Ltd

Producer One - Domaine la Roquete

When the Brunier family bought Domaine la Roquète in 1986, no one really realised the potential of this extraordinary 40-hectare estate. The domaine is made up from a number of fragmented parcels of very old vines (average age 45 years-old), situated in three distinctive zones on the rocky plateau to the north of the town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Firstly the “Plateau de Pièlong”, which is one of the highest points in the appellation; secondly two adjacent lieu-dits in the east, called ‘’La Roquète and Pignan”, which host all the white grape varieties and some red, and amount to about 30% of the total area. Lastly “Colombis” is the third terroir, mainly producing the Syrah grape due to the hard, white limestone soil. These three separate areas together form the distinctive character of Domaine la Roquète. We have watched the steady development of la Roquète since the late 1980’s and, today, it is universally regarded as one of the top “new” estates in the dynamic Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation.

Producer Two - Domaines Brunier

Daniel Brunier’s impressive Vin de Pays de Vaucluse “Le Pigeoulet “ is sourced from 3ha. of vines on the Rive Gauche, about 15km. north of Avignon and from a further 7ha. situated in the commune of Caromb, on the lower south-west facing slopes of the Mont Ventoux. It is made from 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Carignan and 5% Cinsault. The vines are, on average, 25 years’ old.

Producer Three - Domaines des Rosiers

Louis Drevon is a shy, sometimes rather suspicious man, who takes some working on to extract a smile. Now very ably helped by his son, Louis has a little over 7 hectares of prime-site Côte Rôtie split up in to 27 little parcels of vines on the steep escarpment above Ampuis. He uses 3% Viognier with his Syrah to give his wines that added freshness, and the sheer complexity and profundity of the Drevon Côte Rôties has attracted considerable attention in the past few years.

The Drevons’ vines are, on average, 35 years’ old and have a perfect South-South-East aspect, planted largely on granite and schist in the lieu-dits of Rozier, Côte Rozier, Leyat, Moutonnes and Côte Brune. As with all Côte Rôtie, it is vital to have a large choice of vineyard parcels to ensure complexity and balance. The Drevons have 3 hectares in the Rozier lieu-dit which is well-regarded for producing sturdy wines with dark colour and, when this is blended with the other three principal sites, the final result is not only a wine with great depth and structure but also with increasing finesse as the wines age. These are wines that need some time in the bottle to really start showing their true colours.

After 100% destalking and foulage, (light crushing), the wine is fermented between 15 and 20 days and is then aged in a mixture of new and 3-4 year-old oak barrels and 600 litre demi-muids. The Drevons’ wines are non-filtered and will start to throw a deposit after five years or so.

Producer Four - Domaine le Sang des Cailloux

When the Vacqueyras appellation broke away from the Côtes du Rhône Villages ‘family’ in 1990, Serge Férigoule, apart from being one of the main driving forces behind the creation of the new appellation, realised that it was also the ideal time to create something totally out of the norm and today has a quite remarkable collection of Vacqueyras which he has hand-crafted with great attention to detail. Serge is an extraordinary man who certainly does not suffers fools gladly.

From 17-hectares of vineyard (where he uses no pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers) situated on a plateau between Vacqueyras and Sarrians, facing the Dentelles de Montmirail, Serge annually makes a pair of wines which he names (in Provençal French) after one of his daughters and after the farm in Avignon where he was born. The daughter's cuvée changes name on a year-to-year basis whilst the other one is for his top selection which is called Cuvée Lópy. The grapes are hand-picked on a parcel-by-parcel basis, 100% de-stemmed and fermented between two and three weeks. The normal cuvée is generally 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre & 3% Cinsault whilst the “Lopy” is 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah. These are extravagant, deep, dark and brooding classics with the potential of long-ageing, although the ‘daughters’ cuvees’ can be drunk

Producer Five - Domaine des Entrefaux

The ebullient and energetic François Tardy has been running this important domaine on his own since his father’s (Charles) retirement in 2001. François is, unquestionably, making some of the most exciting red and white wines to be found in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. A large part (80%) of the domaine’s vines are situated on the stony hillsides known as the “Les Chassis” whilst the rest are planted on clay-limestone, ideal for white varieties. For the past five years, François has been working to bring the estate into organic production and certification is not far away. All harvesting is carried out manually and very low doses of sulphur are used at the time of bottling.

The white Crozes is made from 85% Marsanne and 15% Roussanne planted about 30 years’ ago on clay-limestone soils in the communes of Mercurol, Chanos-Curson and Beaumont-Monteux. A third of the wine is fermented in 5-10 year old barrels whilst the rest is cold-fermented in tank. It is a racy yet unctuous wine with floral aromas and a fresh, fruity ripeness. The “Champs Fourné”, produced at 40hl./ha., is sourced from various parcels in “les Chassis” and from young vines in Mercurol. It is a supple, deliciously fruit-driven wine made for relatively early drinking. “Les Machonnières” is a top lieu-dit situated in Mercurol, on a steep rocky hillside producing wines of great intensity and character. The wine is fermented for 3 weeks and then aged in 1-4 year old oak barrels.

On-Trade Offer

Award Winning Château de Raousset Chiroubles from the stunning 2009 Vintage
£7.93 ex.VAT
Available to On-Trade Only
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