Suitable for Vegetarian & Vegan diet
Country : France
Region : Rhone Valley
Style : Red Wine
Grape : 60% Grenache - 35% Syrah - 5% Mourvedre
Volume : 750 ml
Alcohol : 14.5%
Tasting Note :
A medium/full-bodied wine that displays ripened, warm fruit notes of blackberries & raspberries, and sweet spices layered with thyme & rosemary. Silky yet grippy, juicy tannins on the palate, bursting with supple black fruits flavor, while showcasing firm structure, balance and a lasting finishing.
Food Pairing :
Pairs well with juicy pink lamb or succulent duck, an aubergine and tomato gratin or simply with a well matured hard cheese.
Awards / Reviews :
Gold Medal - Mundus Vini
About Sablet, the higher tier of Cotes du Rhone-Villages AOC :
Nestled between Séguret to the north and Gigondas to the south, its lush vineyards rise gently up the lower slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail producing wines of great silkiness, for which Sablet is justly becoming renowned. Vines were first established in the early middle-ages with the support of the Count of Toulouse and continued to flourish until the phylloxera outbreak in the late 19th Century. The subsequent recovery from this disaster can, in part, be attributed to Sabletian Francois Leydier, who created the first grafting machine which led to the revival of French vineyards. Sablet’s vineyards now cover an area of approximately 345ha on distinctive rocky, sandy soil types - ‘sable’ translates as sand – rising gradually from the Ouvèze river towards the base the Dentelles, where gravelly pebbles on limestone are more prominent. Font de Notre Dame’s Sablet vineyards are dotted across the appellation and cover these various soil types.
About the Producer :
Based at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, Domaine La Font de Notre Dame is run by two brothers, Frédéric & Boris Roux. They focused producing only with Rhone Valley red wines from their 30 hectares of vineyards, which are spread over five southern Rhône appellations: Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône-Villages Sablet, the cru of Lirac and Rasteau and 7ha in Gigondas where they both live.
One of the more reputable southern Rhône appellations (along with Vaqcueras and Beaumes de Venise) Gigondas was, in 1971, the first Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation to be awarded Cru status. Its vineyards rise from the Ouvèze river to the west, the Trignan to the north and up the rocky ridges of the Dentelles de Montmirail (to the East and South) to an altitude of 500m. Soils vary greatly but can be broadly grouped as limestone scree over marl (as in the Roux’s vineyards), various sandstones and clays on the mid-slopes and gravel stones and alluvial silt towards the river-bank. The stonier topsoils allow easy run off for rainwater to be retained in the red clay subsoils which nourish the vines in the drier months. Most vineyards are bathed in morning sun; sheltered by the Dentelles and with a mainly northerly aspect. Grapes mature more slowly and the harvest is later than other appellations; the extra time being highly suited Gigondas’ dominant variety of Grenache Noir.
La Font de Notre Dame’s Gigondas is a blend of Grenache (of course) with a small proportion of aromatic Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in traditional 20hl concrete vats (the winery houses 8 in total). The wine is matured for 12 months in French oak before release in the regulation appellation bottle, embossed with a coat of arms featuring the 15th century hunting horn of the family of Orange (past patrons of Gigondas) and an olive branch marking the return of plots, planted after phylloxera with olive groves, to vineyards once more.
Owners brother Frédéric & Boris Roux