Clos de Trias
Country: France
Region: Ventoux Sud-Rhône
Wine from Clos de Trias:
Clos de Trias, Norwegian-owned vineyard in Ventoux, Rhône, France
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Even Andreas Bakke was born in Boulder, Colorado and grew up in the USA and Norway with his Norwegian parents. From an early age he became interested in food and wine through his mother's restaurant and catering business. Alongside his studies at the University of Connecticut, he worked as a sommelier at several restaurants. His career as a winemaker began in California where he first studied and then worked for 14 years at vineyards in Sanoma and Napa Valley.
In 2005 he moved with his French wife (from the Paillard Champagne family) and two children to France. In 2007, after 2 years of searching, he bought Clos de Trias located in the southern end of the Rhone wine district and the Ventoux area were declared AOC in 1973.
The vineyard is located at an altitude of 350 metres, close to the 2,000 meter high Mount Ventoux. There they 17 hectares in 20 different parcels, scattered around the vineyard, at between 350 and 500 meters altitude, most on slopes and facing all directions . It is mostly Grenache vines and some Syrah, and some Cinsault, and Carignan. The vines are between 45 and 90 years old. The soil is 200 million year old Triassic sandy limestone.
Due to its location near Mount Ventoux, the nights are relatively cool. The Mistral wind comes straight as it is, and makes wet grapes and leaves dry quickly, so mold and rot rarely occur.
Even Andreas grows organically and follows the bio-dynamic calendar. There is no plowing between the vines, thus ensuring a biological balance between the vines, the soil, the insects and the grass. The vineyard was certified as "agriculture biologique" in 2012, and is now certified as "agriculture biodynamique".
All grapes are hand-sorted during harvest, and in the wine cellar Even Andreas uses the naturally spontaneous fermentation substances in the grapes, minimal sulfur and daily aeration of the wine until the first fermentation is complete, without temperature control.
After 15 harvests, each with its own special attributes, it can be said that he does not have a given recipe, each vintage gets to develop its own optimal characteristics with regard to vintage and location. The wine is made in the old-fashioned way, the fermentation varies from tank to tank and at daily tastings, Even Andreas decides when to transfer the wine to long-term storage in smaller tanks or in the 30,650-litre oak barrels in the cool wine cellar built into the hillside. All the harvests since 2008 are done with the help of family and friends from, among other places, Norway.
Clos de Trias produces between 40,000 and 80,000 bottles a year.
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Read more onClos de Trias its pages:
https://www.closdetrias.fr.closdetrias.fr/
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Domaine de Saint Amand
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
At the beginning of 2018, Sarah Simon took over this magnificent property of 3 hectares, and her wine adventure began.
The vineyard is located on the east side of Bordeaux and the vines are south and southwest facing on clay/limestone/stone slabs overlooking the Garonne River in the village of Cambes. The 25-year-old vines have ideal conditions, and enormous potential to produce excellent wines.
Sarah's passion for viticulture has resulted in great respect in the wine community in Bordeaux, and she achieved HEV certification (High Environmental Value) in April 2020.
The property is currently being converted to organic viticulture.
Sarah Simon is described as a young winegrower, very involved in cellar work and all stages of the production of her wines. She is committed to producing quality wines that are honest and with good balance, wines that are modern and drinkable in the good tradition of Bordeaux winemaking.
Wine production is carried out under organic conditions. Careful aging takes place in stainless steel tanks, or French oak barrels. The wine is produced under the two designations Cadillac Côtes-de-Bordeaux and Bordeaux. Both red, white and rose wine are produced, under four special blends with the DSA signature,
and finally L'Exception du Domaine de Saint Amand. The grape varieties used are Merlot, Malbec, Semillon and Sauvignon.
The relationship between the wine and Sarah goes back a long way. She was born near the medieval town of Saint Emilion, a legendary place with ancient traditions and great Grand Cru wines. With a business school diploma and her specialized master degree at the Bordeaux School of Agronomic Sciences, she was able to perfect her viticulture and winemaking by exploring the different skills needed. Then, one day, the road led her to Domaine Saint Amand. It was love at first sight, and the starting point for a formidable personal adventure in the heart of the wine world
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Read more at Domaine de Saint Amand its pages:
https://domainedesaintamand.fr/en/
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Wines from Domaine de Saint Amand:
Chateau des Chaberts
Country: France
Region: Coteaux Varios
Chateau des Chaberts is located in Garoult, France. The 650-acre Provencal vineyard Chateau des Chaberts, located 365 meters above sea level, is built on a remarkable, south-facing site from a Roman settlement.
The vineyard is 250 hectares, and of this, the vineyards make up 65 hectares that lie like a horseshoe around the beautiful vineyard. The vineyard has been certified for organic farming since the 2018 vintage. The winery is owned by Betty-Ann Cundall. Betty is a "Provencal" English lady who has a great love for her wines. She has quietly worked with the wine, winning medals and awards year after year.
Since 1974, Chateau des Chaberts has been collecting awards from French winery competition, Brignoles wines, Mondial du Rosé, not to mention Paris and Macon, Vinalies and Guide Haschette. Specialized wine guides regularly mention the different vintages of Chaberts. The winery produces some of the best wines from the area. The soil is rocky with a chalky clay soil, and benefits from a microclimate. The surrounding hills, in the form of a horseshoe, provide shelter from the Mistral wind, while a continuous, gentle breeze provides protection from the spring frost and summer heat.
Chateau des Chaberts wines are made with great respect for tradition and with constant attention to quality, which has resulted in almost 50 years of awards.
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Read more on Chateau des Chaberts its pages:
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Cuvée Prestige Rouge
Year: 2022
Read more about the wine
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Wines from Chateau des Chaberts:
Domaine du Loou
Country: France
Region: Coteaux Varios
Domaine du Loou is located on La Roquebrussanne in France, and is named after a vineyard established by the Romans. You can see the remains of Villa du Loou on the way up to the main house.
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The vineyard has been owned by the clergy of the abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille and was sold on to the family of the bishop of Metz and Alexis. In 1856 Dominique Di Placido bought the vineyard and it is now owned and run by his children and grandchildren. Today's owner Daniel Di Placido is Italian and should have a large part of the credit for Coteaux Varois receiving AOC status. He has created a pattern of use, and today the whole family actively participates in the operation with passion in the development of the vineyard
Domaine du Loous`s Coteaux Varois is a Provence AOC-classified vineyard located at 300 altitude, and stretches over 60 acres of land that is steeped in history. The grapes thrive here and grow under ideal conditions. They are mostly planted southeast in clay-limestone soil. The climate is favorable and the vines are well protected from the Mistral wind at Agni Hill and the Massif de la Loube.
The vineyards conduct organic cultivation with different methods of cultivating the soil. This approach ensures respect for the environment, consumer health and the natural character of wine.
The wine production is located in the middle of the vineyard, so that the harvested grapes arrive quickly at the vineyard. Mechanical harvesting is carried out at night to preserve the freshness of the grapes and thereby easily extract the taste from the grapes.
The red wines are stored in oak barrels before being bottled, while rose and white wine are quickly bottled to preserve aroma and freshness.
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Read more on Domaine Du Loop's pages:
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Wines from Domaine Du Loou: