Vacqueyras

Laurent’s initial anxieties about relatively low levels of acidity in the Grenache have been dispelled over the élevage period. The Vacqueyras is certainly fresh and juicy – its fruit sourced from ten parcels and dominated by the 75 percent of tank-aged Grenache. Approachable and ripe, yet discretely structured, this works very well and can be drunk in relative youth. Drink 2018-2026.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Flanking the evocatively named Dentelles de Montmirail, with vines on the equally evocative Plateau des Garrigues, La Bastide Saint Vincent is a delightful, family-owned wine domaine with 17th century origins. The unassuming Laurent Daniel never overworks his fruit and his fruit repays him with interest; a very subtle producer of supple wines. Laurent was happy with both quality and quantity in 2015–a vintage which he compares, somewhat against the trend, to 2007.

Damien Vache blends Grenache (70 percent) and Syrah (30 percent) in this excellent cuvée, which is fermented in concrete and matured in old wood. A Vacqueyras archetype, Les Deux Monards marries dark fruit and spice, with distinctive notes of liquorice allied to a disarming sweetness on the finish. Drink 2016 to 2019.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Damien Vache compares 2013 to 2008 and to 2001: it is better than 2008 but, he admits, not quite as good as 2001. This seems about right, especially as 2001 is one of my favourite years over the last two decades, and therefore a hard act to follow. Irregular flowering and a late harvest were the key features here, as elsewhere. Minimal intervention and diligent aging have ensured the quality of the wine, which will give great pleasure in the short to medium term.

This year it is Floureto’s turn to inspire the eponymous cuvée (the name rotates between Serge’s three daughters) and a very good year it is too. As usual, the blend is 70 percent Grenache and 20 percent Syrah, with small touches of Mourvèdre and Cinsault to complete the picture. Poised and elegant, the wine is a notch lower than sometimes on the alcohol barometer-no bad thing in these parts. In this instance the lower alcohol allows the exuberant black-fruit profile a full and glorious expression.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

One of the best properties in the appellation of Vacqueyras, and certainly the bestnamed, Le Sang des Cailloux is located on the limestone escarpment which divides the villages of Vacqueyras and Sarrians. The idiosyncrasy betrayed by Serge Férigoule handle-bar moustache reveals an approach to winemaking which is as individual as it is successful. His unrivalled experience allows him to compare 2013 with 1983, when there was also coulure in the Grenache, but when there were also some very nice wines made.

Serge Férigoule is a vigneron’s vigneron; hugely respected in the Rhône and, more than any other, responsible for the ascent of Vacqueyras to its current prestigious status. Beyond his trademark handlebar moustache and the poetic name of his domaine, there is no dissimulation here and a genuine love of the soil. He meets us in his customary worker’s blue overall and describes in some detail why 2011 has been a difficult vintage. It comes as some relief, thereafter, to actually taste the wines, which seem to me to be just as good as always.

Serge feels that the clue to Vacqueyras lies in finesse and that Syrah provides the answer here, rather than Mourvèdre which is very modish elsewhere. The wine is rich and savoury, with notes of violets and raspberry coulis, camphor and liquorice all dancing a very pleasing dance.

This famous old-vine cuvée is made from three quarters Grenache and one quarter Syrah. Élevage takes place over 12 months, in 450-litre tonneaux, all of which are two or three years old. The 2013 weighs in at 14.2 percent, high enough, one may think, but lower than many years and lending the wine a quality which Serge describes as ‘aérien’. Fear not, however, as there is no lack of the classic Vacqueyras spicy weight and length.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

One of the best properties in the appellation of Vacqueyras, and certainly the bestnamed, Le Sang des Cailloux is located on the limestone escarpment which divides the villages of Vacqueyras and Sarrians. The idiosyncrasy betrayed by Serge Férigoule handle-bar moustache reveals an approach to winemaking which is as individual as it is successful. His unrivalled experience allows him to compare 2013 with 1983, when there was also coulure in the Grenache, but when there were also some very nice wines made.

Adrien Rousten is a vigneron’s vigneron; passionate, committed and almost protective of his vines, which cover five hectares in Gigondas and 10 in Vacqueras, the latter located high above the village, on the border with Beaumes-de-Venise. He farms biodynamically and is certainly one to watch.

The soil here is a combination of stony red clay and blue marl, the former contributing considerable finesse, the latter power and depth of flavour. Eschewing destemming and any form of intervention in terms of ageing vessel, Adrien Roustan has coaxed a fruit basket of flavour from his old vines. Poised tannins and impressive length complete the picture.

An older plot, the Lopy, yields wines which are slow to evolve, their Mourvèdre content (30 percent) suiting the vintage and adding a savoury undercurrent to the Grenache, which controls early progress from the quarterdeck. Syrah fills the topsails and a little Cinsault teases the rudder of a pretty vessel which glides with an unassuming femininity but does not lack for power beneath. 
Drink 2017-2021.
Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer

Blue and yellow clay on the Plateau des garrigues host densely planted (10,000 per hectare) old Grenache vines. Aiden’s philosophy in the winery centres on what he describes as infusion that is to say extended maceration but without too much jiggery-pokery. The Vacqueyras is amazingly pure, despite its concentration, with garrigue and spice providing eloquent counterpoint to the dark fruit.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer

Aidren Rousten is a vigneron’s vigneron; passionate, committed and almost protective of his vines, which cover five hectares in Gigondas and 10 in Vacqueyras, the latter located high above the village, on the border with Beaumes-De-Venise. Biodynamic viticulture and an almost quixotic refusal to compromise have resulted in yields of 17 hectare litres per hectare in 2012 and, unsurprisingly, magnificently expressive fruit.

The blend of this cuvée is seldom anything other than complex and 2013 is no exception…it’s made up of 20% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette, 15% Viognier, 15% Bourboulenc, 15% Roussane and 15% Marsanne. Yields are 22 hl/ha and both vinification and elevage take place in large 450 litre vats, with a full malolactic fermentation and lees stirring too. The result, unsurprisingly, is fantastically complex, with citric fruit to the fore, a mineral backdrop and hints of fennel, white pepper, bitter almond and papaya added for good measure.

The Lopy has longer aging and a little more Syrah and Mourvèdre. Serge acknowledges that sometimes in Vacqueyras there is insufficient humidity for Mourvèdre early in the season and insufficient sunshine later on; 2012 was ideal in this respect and the variety’s distinctive savoury personality adds weight and complexity to this outstanding example.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer

For Serge Férrigoule ‘biodynamie, c’est l’harmonie’, which we shall keep in French as it doesn’t have the same assonance when translated. What is more, the relatively low pH levels in the musts and wines have resulted in less need to add sulphur. Therefore, 2012 is to be a  naturally impressive vintage with real harmony but no shortage of concentration.

Most Exciting Wines of the Rhône 2007 Vintage
Vacqueyras Les Clos offers an explosive nose of ripe black cherries with hints of dark chocolate that leads on to a wine of glorious texture on the palate, really mouth-filling and voluminous. The richness almost obscures the fine-grained tannins but they are present in abundance and will ensure wonderful drinking until 2017. Best Value - Southern Rhône
A stunning expression of Grenache, Vacqueyras Les Clos scales new heights in 2007. Its nose is evocative of lilies and spring flowers whilst its palate combines spices, herbs and ripe dark fruits. This is elegant and very complete.
(Simon Field MW, Berrys’ Rhône Buyer)

A wine of great purity and focus, with red fruits, aniseed and hints – appropriately enough – of the garrigue. The wine is made up of 70 percent Grenache and 30 percent Syrah, the age of the Grenache being at least 60 years. The tannins are very fin; the wine rounded and charming, with ripeness finely tempered and nicely managed. Drink 2018 - 2025. 
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Christine and Eric Saurel own 70 hectares around the villages of Vacqueyras and Gigondas, all farmed in accordance with rigorous biodynamic principles. An initial modest scepticism at their almost obsessive fascination with the lunar patterns and so forth has been countered, over the years, by the sheer quality of the wines. Christine describes her goals in terms of “luminosité”, an intangible and almost ethereal term, yet one which seems strangely appropriate and is explained most eloquently by the wines themselves.