Le Rouge du Château de Pibarnon 2014

Grape variety

90 % MOURVEDRE + 10 % GRENACHE

Terroir

The soil is made up of clay, limestone and white chalk from the TRIAS geological period. It is the Triassic soil that is responsible for the finesse of the tannins and the minerality of the wine. Surface: 20ha of terraced slopes, a selection of our 12 best plots: Bel Air, Jourdan, Pointes Blanches...planted up to 900 feet/250 metres above sea level. The vines are on average 30 years old.

Winemaking

As the vine, the vatting requested lots of patience. Tannin extract slowly after long days of maceration and punching. Fermentation is followed by a very long Maceration (about 3 weeks) before running off. Breeding in casks of oak for 20 months. Casks park will soon be renewed at 100%. A diversification in choice of Suppliers and barrels of differents ages to best adapt the breeding of each of our terroirs.

Tasting

The 2014 red is typically southern, dense, spicy, abundantly liquorice and fruity. Its 'Pibarnon' style is present from the outset, long and energetic with both density and finesse. It is a wine that will open up in spring for 2 or 3 years. To be tasted again later on with its secondary bouquets.

Vintage

After more than 35 years of winemaking at the Domaine, it's still surprising to experience an unprecedented situation at each harvest. In appearance, it is a rather mild year, not very hot, and perfectly regulated from a hydration point of view. Beautiful, but not excessive, rains in winter and spring pave the way to a mild and dry summer. There is even a thunderstorm on 15th August, which revives the foliar activity and the cold hardening process. We are therefore calmly expecting rather late maturities. In fact, the vintage is earlier than we imagined: El Nino woke up: very good. Beautiful maturity and tannins, the first vats are harvested at perfect maturity. An unprecedented hail storm just before the harvest scares us out of our minds. But fortunately, the leaves of Mourvèdre are like helmets and there is no harm done.

Yield

Handpicked grapes with a small team of pickers. This allows us to stretch out picking dates, to maximize the opportunity of harvesting each variety at its best moment of maturity. Strict selection in the vineyard and picking out of individual grapes bunches, if necessary. 34 hectoliters per hectare.