In a quiet part of the Rhône Valley appellation of Lirac, Véronique Lombardo of Château Le Devoy Martine crafts understated and complex wines on her 4th generation family owned domaine. With 40 hectares of land, Véronique strives to keep the character of vineyard in the bottle from her gravelly clay soils mixed with some limestone. Very few oak barrels are used in her wines.
Presentation
Presentation
Véronique, the owner and winemaker at le Devoy Martine, is a single-minded figure, whose obsession is translating the product of her immaculately farmed vineyards into the bottle with as little distortion as possible. That means fermenting each of the four grapes in this blend separately in concrete tanks for maximum purity, and then assembling the blend to best express the vintage, showing restraint and subtle layering of flavors that are good indicators of the vintage and the terroir.
Terroir
Located just across the river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Le Devoy Martine’s soils are distinct in their increased proportion of clay and limestone, perfect for producing a wine with silky tannins and velvety texture. This makes their wines absolutely stellar for drinking young, while retaining the powerfully rich fruit that top appellations in the Southern Rhône are famous for.
Winemaking
Traditional vinification by type of grape variety in concrete vats.
Ageing
In stainless steel vat for 6 months.
Varietals
Syrah : 70%
Cinsault : 30%
Cinsault : 30%
Specifications
Alcohol content : 14,5 % vol.
Contains sulphites. Does not contain egg or egg products. Does not contain milk or milk-based products.
Advice
Serving
16°C/61°F
Tasting
The vintage is dominated by Mourvèdre, the tricky-to-grow, dark-fruited secret weapon of the estate. It thrives in hot years like this, bringing a rich texture and distinct scents of wild scrubland to the blend. It’s rounded out with equal parts of Grenache, the classic grape of the Southern Rhône; Syrah, which is full of dark plums and pepper; and Cinsault, which keeps the whole blend fresh and elegant.
Food pairings
This wine can be drunk slightly chilled (15-16°) to accompany a barbecue.
