[Pre-Arrival] Domaine de la Solitude Vin de la Solitude 2021
$185.00 inc. GST
Accolades:
99/100 – James Suckling
95/100 – Decanter
“Pour yourself a glass of this and spend an hour experiencing how it opens up in stages. At first there’s an incredibly zesty and dangerously vibrant nose, but with great savory complexity. Then notes of dried cherries, candied oranges and touches of bitter chocolate emerge. And when you think it’s all done, a spicy and balsamic character unfurls. Incredible energy and purity on the very focused medium- to full-bodied palate, where the huge tannins feel astonishingly delicate. An almost endless mineral finish. A cuvee based on counoise, grenache, syrah and mourvedre with 10% white grapes, most of which are clairette and all of which are biodynamically grown. 100% whole cluster, macerated for 90 days, then aged for three years in old oak barrels.” – James Suckling
“Beautifully detailed nose with peppery freshness. Intense, with fine tannins, gently saline and not overly marked by wood this year – lovely drinkability. This is excellent and based on a recipe belonging to an ancestor of the Lançon family. It’s unusual in its proportion of Counoise; with it are co-fermented Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Clairette Rose and Grenache Blanc. Aged in three-year-old barriques. No filtration or fining.” – Decanter
Tasting Notes: This cuvée was created in honour of the family’s ancestor Paul Martin, who was one of the first French winemakers to sell wine in the 18th century under the name Vin de la Solitude. It was created using the winemaking techniques of the era, with very different blends to those of the modern era, where Grenache is not the dominant grape. The wine is composed of a large number of varieties co-fermented with much longer macerations than those used today. The four original labels of “Vin de la Solitude” have been reissued for this cuvée. Floral nose with black berries and spices. A mouth with aromas of cassis, bouquet of garrigue. It is an elegant and refined wine, tannic while remaining fresh.
Winemaking Notes: The grapes of each variety are harvested by hand and then vatted as they mature. The first grape, Syrah, is vatted starting September, while the last, Counoise, starts in October. They are co-fermented after harvest in a cone-shaped wooden cuve. Alcoholic fermentation is very long, lasting more than a month, and the vatting 80 days for this vintage. The wine is matured for 18 months in barriques and bottled without filtration or fining.
Varieties: Grenache noir 25%, Serine 22%, Counoise 20%, Mourvèdre 20%, Cinsault 7%, Clairette 3%, Clairette Rose 2%, Roussanne/Picpoul/Bourboulenc 1%
Alcohol: 14.5%
Region: Chateauneuf-de-pape AOC, France
Out of stock