Brotte Les Hauts De Barville, Chateauneuf Du Pape Rouge, Rhone Valley, France 2019

Description

Ruby with purple glints. Nose: Typical of its terroir with a nose of spices, black pepper, lavender, black cherries and blackberries. Palate: Elegant and powerful, with a distinctive velvety palate showing red fruits and spellbinding notes of garrigue. This cuvée is a pleasure to drink and will reward the most patient wine lover. Enjoy with powerful dishes such as Daube Provençale with black olives, BBQ steak with béarnaise sauce, black truffle and foie gras parcels or melting chocolate puddings.

Domaine Barville is Laurent Brotte’s family estate. The 15ha vineyard is situated on the west side of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and is composed of 7 parcels spread over two of the best areas of the appellation: Clay and pebbles at ‘Pradel’ and shattered limestone at ‘Beaurenard’. The vines have an average age of 35 years and, at an elevation of 100m, dominate the Rhône River which, with the local wind ‘The Mistral’, brings an exceptional healthy microclimate. Its south facing position is ideal for perfect maturation of the berries. TERRA VITIS labelled sustainable viticulture, de-budding, de-leafing and green harvest to limit the yield and increase the quality. Hand-picking into small cases and fast transportation to the winery to avoid berries’ crushing and oxidation. Desteming, gentle crushing. Fermentation at 28°C, followed by a 3 week maceration. The tannic Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre are aged in French oak barrels (1/3 new, 1/3 one wine, 1/3 two wines), while the softer Grenache is matured in concrete vats and 100 year old oak vats to preserve the fruit. Bottling takes place in March, after more than a year of ageing and a light filtering.