Lot presentation

Rasteau Beaurenard (Domaine de) 2017

The wine

This cuvée comes from the vineyard which is the furthest south of the appellation, 8 km from Tournon. Every year 5,000 bottles are produced. In the vineyards (which are planted in clay, chalk-rich and granite soils), Dominique and Laurent apply green harvesting to reduce the bunches which are considered surplus and to favour better maturity and concentration of the remaining berries. The subsequent harvests are done by hand and the crop is stored in small crates to prevent the bunches from being crushed. They are completely destemmed before vinification in closed, thermo-regulated, stainless-steel vats. Winemaking temperatures range between 30 and 32°C. Extraction is optimal and maceration can last up to 15 days. Ageing lasts 14 months and occurs in vats and barriques. On the palate, this Saint-Joseph is powerful and spicy.

About the Producer Beaurenard

The family run Domaine Beaurenard has been passed down over seven generations and is run today by brothers, Daniel and Frédéric Coulon. There is plenty to keep them busy with 32 hectares in Châteauneuf and 25 hectares in Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Rasteau. The domain is known for powerful wines and favours ageing potential and the aromatic rewards that come with time, over instantly pleasing cuvées. The wines are fermented in wooden vats and then barrelled and matured over fine lees for between 9 and 18 months.The property was certified organic (Ecocert) as from its 2010 vintage and biodynamic (Demeter) from 2011. Nothing has changed as an outcome of these accreditations but they give the domain ""official recognition”. The crops are sprayed regularly with plant preparations. In the vineyards, the soil is worked without herbicides, carefully-dynamised manure is spread, and a sensible level of grass cover is maintained.