News Jan - Aug 2008
9/8/08 "Deux Vignerons" Box 66
On August 9th we held a six-course gourmet dinner matched with a selection of our wines and those of Domaine de la Perdrix - our friends and neighbouring vignerons. It was a great opportunity to see how two domaines can produce different but equally impressive wines and work together to showcase the Aspres region.
We put together a special case, called Box 66, of the eight wines featured at the dinner at a 15% discount price of €66.00. A small number of these cases are still available at the winery.
1/7/08 - "Own Vine Club"
Vineyard Ownership Plan
Old vines make more interesting wines. However, they don't have the high yields that cooperative grape growers want. We have the opportunity to save them to make great wine rather than seeing them go to waste.
We've launched an "Own Vine Club" to allow you to participate in this plan. For a small annual subscription you can own part of these historic vineyards, help to preserve the landscape, and, best of all, drink the wine made from your own vines. Click here for more info.
1/6/08 Short Gourmet Break in the Roussillon
We've teamed up with Mas San Julien and The French Tour Company to provide short wine and food holidays in this exciting, gourmet corner of France. See here for more details.
12/4/08 Reviews by Jamie Goode - the 2007 Glenfiddich Wine Writer of the year
Tahi 2006 Côtes du Roussillon
Tight, dark, concentrated and quite tannic, this could do with
a few years to become more approachable and is potentially very long-lived.
Ripe dark fruits dominate, with a subtly roasted coffee oak edge and a bit
of plummy bitterness on the finish. There’s a lot going for this wine ....
I’d be fascinated to see how this wine will taste in a decade: I reckon
it will be pretty serious. 93/100
One Block Grenache 2006 Vin de Pays d'Oc
This is quite a big wine, with sweet, lush, almost jammy
blackberry and raspberry fruit, coupled with some spicy tannic structure.
Good depth of flavour and ample fruit expression here: a satisfying, warm,
food friendly wine. 89/100
23/3/08 VinArt 2008
VinArt was a huge success. We received around 150 visitors over the weekend and raised over €400 for cancer care charity. We will definitely be holding VinArt 2009, so if you missed out this time, put it in your diary now. We're also going to be doing another open day on May 3rd as part of the Roussillon Wine Festival.
Thanks to everyone who came. If you missed it, some of the art is still on display and we are open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Special
thanks to all the artists who exhibited, to Maribelle, Ian, Rosy and her
band for providing the ambiance musicale, to Laurence for preparing
the canapes and babysitting our children and to Anne-Marie for helping us
out during the event.
23/2/08 The Blessing
When Father Mick, a Dublin priest, came for a wine tour and offered to bless the winery and vineyard, we thought he was joking. He was not. He'd brought his stole, The Book and Holy Water too.
I have to admit, I'm not a religious person but I am quite spiritual (if you get my meaning) and found the Blessing very moving. For me it reconfirmed that, despite all the hard work, mountains of paperwork, financial hardship and marketing struggles, our passion and commitment to our chosen work will see us through. All we ask from the Almighty is encouragement.
