Domaine de la Charbonnière Vacqueyras “Cuvée Spéciale”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Caroline and Veronique bought a new parcel in 2014. It is situated not far away from the rest of vineyards on lieu-dit “Cabane”.
- From its beginning we have seen the potential of this single vineyard Cuvée coming from 60 years old vines, so 2015 is actually their first vintage.
Varietal Composition: Mainly Grenache, other grape varieties
Elaboration: Enormous care is taken at harvest time. It is done in a traditional method: hand-picked harvest with a selective sorting of grapes in the vineyard and at the cellar (by using a sorting table), which are proofs of quality. We kept 25% whole clusters in this Cuvée. The vinification has be done in tronconic oak vats. The alcoholic fermentation lasts 5 weeks with different operations : A release, punching of the cap and pumping over. The malolactic fermentation is made in demi-muids and oak vats. Elevage is done in demi-muids
Tasting Notes: The nose reveals lively balsamic notes, dark berries, fresh laurel, and black olives .The structure is round and generous with a long voluptuous finish .
PRESS
2015 – 90 Wine Spectator | 92 Wine Advocate | 92 Wine Enthusiast “Editors’ Choice” | 92 James Suckling | 93 Jeb Dunnuck | 93 Vinous
2016 – 92 Wine Spectator | 92-94 Wine Advocate | 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck | 93 James Suckling | 94 Vinous
2019 – 90 Vinous
2020 – 90 Vinous | 93 James Suckling
2022 – 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Domaine de la Charbonnière has been the singular passion of the Maret family since their purchase of this iconic property in 1912. The young and charismatic Veronique Maret is responsible for the recent meteoric rise of Charbonnière – Veronique is handling all winemaking and somehow also finding the time to run the Domaine’s sales activities. One of the most important changes Veronique made since taking over in 2012 was the move to organic viticulture. Organic farming really started to make its mark on the finished wines in 2014 and the press we’ve been seeing from that point on only validates our opinion on that front. Domaine de la Charbonnière’s holdings spread over 68 acres in some of the region’s most sought after lieu dits – 49 of these in Châteauneuf du Pape, 15 in Vacqueyras, 4 in Côtes du Rhône. Winemaking is traditional with a profound respect for grapes and terroir. Reds are fermented in conical wood vats, and aged in a mix of demi muids and barrels. While the majority of our Charbonniere references are red, Insiders have long sought out the property’s white wine offerings, which we make available to you with wide grins on our faces. These are all tactile wines that combine elegance and serious depth at once.