Vaucluse, 2020. Domaine de L'Amauve

Domaine de l'Amauve is a boutique Domaine in Seguret owned by Christain Voeux who was, for over 20 years, chief winemaker at Chateau la Nerthe, the world famous Chateneuf-du-pape house. The vineyards of Domaine de L'Amauve are located on the left bank of the Rhone River, near the city of Vaison La Romaine and the famous villages of Girondas and Beaumes-de- Venise. The estate has been certified organic since 2020, making this the first vintage with the official certification. The vineyards are treated minimally and only when necessary, using simple techniques, such as grassing.

The climate of this region is Mediterranean with particularly hot and dry summers. The North wind drives out moisture, ensuring favorable growing conditions for the vines. The harvest is done by hand in order to ensure the best clusters are selected, and the maturity of the grapes is at its peak. The summer of 2020 was hot and very dry, this concentrated the sugars and acid in the grapes, making the pH levels ideal for this wine. The grapes were harvested, destemmed, and then fermented using the natural yeasts present in the vineyard and on the berries. This allows the fermentation to develop slowly and contributes to the aromatic complexity of the wine. The wine is then stored on lees until the bottling, about 8 months after harvest.

In the glass, this wine is an intense crimson with dark purple tints. On the nose, you will get black stone fruits, redcurrant, licorice, and a touch of garrigue- which refers to the sum of plants that grow wild on the limestone hills, including juniper, thyme, rosemary, and lavender. This wine is well-balanced, lively, and rich, and the palate delivers many of the same notes as the aroma, with the addition of spicy black pepper, blueberry, and blackberries. This is a fleshy wine with fine and tight tannins. This wine goes along with grilled steak with herb salsa, or roast chicken with mushrooms and leeks.

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