Domaine de l'Espigoutte, Vacqueyras

Vacqueyras Rouge is dark red colour, with hints of deep purple with good clarity and good brightness. The nose is of laurel, rosemary and something fresh, almost thyme, then an explosion of black fruits (blackberry, candied cherry). Light oak adds a perfect complexity. The mouth is powerful, bulky. It is nicely tannic but the tannins are well coated, they give a relief. Serve in 3-5 years on a leg of lamb with crunchy vegetables or a nice piece of beef. Spices will not frighten this wine.

Grenache 80%,  Syrah 15%, Mourvedre 5%.

Domaine de l' Espigouette has been owned by the family for four generations. The vineyard is now run by Bernard Latour, his wife and two sons, Julian and Emilien. The estate vineyard is located in the Rhone Valley of France: Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, Plan de Dieu, Violes, Jonquieres. At Domaine de l'Espigouette, they carefully work the vineyard (various plowing, budding, leafing, harvesting, etc .) according to the climatic characteristics of vintage and different terroirs. This multiplicity of the soil allows for complexity to the different wines of the area, the rollers provide rich, bold wines, while sandy, clay soils provide elegance, finesse and depth to the wines. The average age of vines is 45 years for the Cotes du Rhone and Plan de Dieu vines. The vineyards are harvested mechanically, but only when they have reached maximum ripeness for the best concentration of fruit, and they are carefully sorted before harvest. Domaine de l'Espigouette has now become an impeccable source of delicious wines which offer very good value. Rendements are kept low, 30-39hl/ha, and they have some 32 hectares including 1.5 hectares in Gigondas. A big new temperature controlled chai was finished just in time for the 2012 vintage. This enables them to have a single bottling for each wine and then to store in perfect conditions. The average age of the vines is not less than 40 years old. Vinification is traditional, in a mix of a little stainless steel and cement vats. Elevage is then in foudres.