Roussillon region portrait:

Portrait of the Roussillon region:

Primary rock soils of the Pyrenean foothills and geological patchwork.

Wines & Character: Mainly red wine, strong. Red varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Carignan (autochthonous), Mourvèdre and others. White varieties: Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Macabeu (autochthonous), Muscat d'Alexandrie.

among others.

Represented at VINATURE: Jean Louis Tribouley and Bastien Baillet (Domaine La Bancale).

Red wine: Strong basic structure with medium to high extract, alcohol level from 12% to 15%.

Old vines combine in young wines the very fruity primary and secondary notes

with present, well-integrated acids. As the wine matures (5Y+), complex, concentrated tertiary notes (licorice, confit dark fruits) define the aroma, accompanied by echoes of fresh fruit and well-supporting acidity framework.

White wine: Medium-strong structure with medium extract, alcohol level from 12% to 13.5%.

The challenge is not to bring the often prevailing heat too much into the wine, i.e. the

acids must be preserved as much as possible: Targeted pruning and early harvest are important.

Accessible early, lively bouquet of yellow fruits, sometimes floral notes, without dominating

of a too broad body. With age (3y+) a fine harmony between ripened fruit and pithy body is established.

ripe fruit and pithy body, without the latter becoming too prominent.

Located in the extreme south of France, the Mediterranean Sea to the east and the Pyrenees to the south border

in the south border the Roussillon. From afar, one can see the imposing mountain massif of the Canigou, since

symbol of Catalan identity. The capital of the department (Pyrénées Orientales) is

Perpignan, whose Catalan-Mallorcan-Algerian-French history is reflected in the center. The numerous coastal vineyards in the plain are mostly conventionally farmed, producing mainly powerful red wine from mostly machine-harvested grapes. For a long time, these were the coveted powerful reds to enhance certain well-known wines from a well-known wine region of France... aper pssst: no one saw the tankers from the Bordelais that regularly quenched their thirst here!

More interesting is the soon hilly hinterland west of Perpignan: There one meets the striking

the striking southern foothills of the Corbières, which provide a clear geological border.

geologically. The calcareous basement is pierced by the "Crau de Maury" mountain saddle: This is said to

Hannibal is said to have crossed it with his huge army. To the south of this is a

five kilometers wide basin, which rises to the south to the northern foothills of the Pyrenees: Geologists are very interested in this "rift valley" because the European and African plates meet here and have created very interesting faults and overlaps - and the wines pressed here offer correspondingly diverse flavors. From east to west, the Rift Valley measures almost 50 kilometers and rises gently,

but steadily from the sea to an altitude of 800 meters. Due to the abruptly changing

weather in winter and spring, the wine-growing areas are divided into four microclimatic zones,

which are reflected in the staggered ripening of the grapes.

The vines are mainly grown as "gobelets" (French for "cups"): individually standing

vines, whose wind-resistant branches must be pruned to form a cup shape, thus providing a microclimate for the grapes. The grapes thrive in the shade of the foliage of the canes and thus withstand the high temperatures, which can climb to 30 degrees from the end of May and 40 degrees from June, July.

Biologisch bewirtschaftete Weinfelder geben im Roussillon nur selten mehr als 20 Hektoliter pro Hektar — konventionelle, mit Kunstdünger versehene Weinfelder durchwegs 80 hl/ha (!). Kein

Stock gleicht dem anderen, jede Pflanze für sich ist ein echtes Individuum, das besonderer Pflege bedarf. Alte Rebstöcke von 80 Jahren und mehr sind keine Seltenheit: Dann bringen sie

überaus geschmackvolle Trauben hervor, deren Aromaexplosion ich bei noch keinen Tafeltrauben je erlebt habe, die handelsüblich angeboten werden. Der daraus gekelterte Naturwein kann nur gut sein!