AOC Beaumes de Venise Rouge 2020

AOC Beaumes de Venise Rouge 2020

No destemming, aged 10-12 months in stainless steel. Deep, dense, tightly packed nose with smoky herbal essences and lovely peppery, stemmy fragrance. Full-bodied, very rich with concentrated fruits - but the acidity is perfectly balanced and the tannins are pleasingly muscular and sinewy.

Presentation

Location

Spreads out over the south-east side of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills, in Beaumes de Venise in the southern part of the Rhone valley.

Terroir

On a poor sandy, hungry and arid soil consisting of tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.

In the vineyard

The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.

The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.

We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).

We use and abide by countrywide standards for ‘sustainable agriculture’.

As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques . Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.

Winemaking

We make two red wines at the estate. Terroir wines shaped by the two classic Côtes du Rhône varieties: Grenache and Syrah. We don’t follow any winemaking recipe but are constantly searching for the perfect expression of terroir and each vintage’s particular characteristics. We don’t go for overripe grapes and over-extraction, as we think the wine has to stay refreshing and balanced.

Leaving the wine for 15 days in concrete vats, we try to gently extract the tannins and anthocyanins essential for the wine’s structure and colour. The wine doesn’t come into any contact with wood during ageing. This way the characteristics of our terroir can fully express
themselves.

Alcohol content

14

Winegrowing label

Agriculture Raisonnée

Cépages

Grenache : 60 %
Syrah : 25 %
Marsanne : 6 %
Mourvèdre : 5 %
Grenache blanc : 4 %

Tasting tips

Serving

They are pleasant to drink young. But good ageing wine can be kept from 8 to 10 years.

Tasting

The nose is complex, delicately spicy with black fruit aromas. The palate has a pleasant roundness with a subtle tannin structure expressing the notes of fruit and spice found in the nose.

Food pairings

These elegant red wines are excellent with red meat and game, with a stew or even a truffle omelette.

Reviews & awards

91-92/100
"Un référent incontournable et d'une régularité sans faille avec son parfum captivant où domine une note d'orangette, relayée par une pointe de violette. La bouche se montre gracieuse avec une texture parfaitement déliée. Son toucher de bouche est d'une grande finesse grâce à des tanins veloutés. Un vin précis et juteux. Superbe !"
- Roberto Petronio - Olivier Poels - Olivier Poussier
La Revue du Vin de France , 2022-06-01
"Soyeux, ample et consistant, s'appuyant sur des tannins fins mais serrés, ce superbe 2020 pinote (fleurs séchées, framboise, rose poivrée) tout en conservant une excellente fraîcheur. Une cuvée référence pour qui veut découvrir les vins de l'appellation."
- Olivier Borneuf
La Tulipe Rouge 2024
90/100
"Cahier Spécial "Les dégustations Rasteau et Beaumes-de-Venise" Ce beau classique de l'appellation livre un parfum intense sur des notes florales. Son joli jus, net et précis, est tout en finesse de texture, et déjà fort ouvert."
- Olivier Poussier et Robert Petronio
La Revue du Vin de France , 2021-10-01
92/100
"Le domaine nous régale sur les rouges en 2020. Le Beaumes-de-Venise est aussi peu extrait avec une matière plus serré en toute logique, mais tout en restant caressant en bouche."
- Olivier Poussier
La Revue du Vin de France , 2022-09-01