The "Cuvée Rare" bottlings are Alice’s selection of barrels and careful blending. Elegant yet generous, serious yet accessible these wines reflect Alice’s own personality. Wines that break the ceiling of the Southern France in terms of quality and definition, closer perhaps what one would expect from wines made in the Rhône region. A fitting tribute to Alice and her fusion of Burgundian roots and Southern France upbringing.
Presentation
Presentation
Alice believes her wines should first express the utmost respect for the primary material ... site, soil and vines. Her grapes are produced from single or at the most two organic or converting to organic vineyard sites, where the grapes are hand-harvested from vineyards of her own or her close neighbors, with whom she shares the ethics or work well done.
The vintage
2016 was an outstanding vintage in the Languedoc, this together with minimalistic winemaking intervention and judicious aging has been key to realizing the true potential of this exceptional wine. This bottling already shows all the positive attributes of its age and holds a promise to go the distance of all stelar wines.
Terroir
Organically farmed on rocky sandstones from the late Triassic era.
Winemaking
Alice elemental wines eloquently express their place of origin through Alice and her father Bruno's simplistic minimal intervention practices with no additives apart from judicial SO2, there is no sophisticated technology, just winemaking reflecting our respect for the purity of nature’s gift. Aging in timeless practice, with concrete tanks or aged burgundy barrels allows our wines to reflect no artifice, just beautiful artisanal wines.
Ageing
20 months in barrel followed by 18 months in mature concrete tanks.
Varietals
Grenache noir : 55%
Syrah : 30%
Carignan : 15%
Syrah : 30%
Carignan : 15%
Specifications
Advice
Ageing potential
Enjoy all year long, 10 to 15 years
Tasting
This is a delicate yet complex wine of true character and depth with a beautiful bouquet of rich dark fruit, tea leaves, leather and menthol. The mouth, smooth and lush, is loaded with intense plum, cherry, spice and pepper. The balance is fantastic, making this an easy wine to enjoy now or an excellent candidate to hold for many more years.
Food pairings
This bottling natural balance, sweetness and spicy characteristics allow for easy wine and food pairing: it’s calling for red fleshed foods – from beef and lamb to goose and game, or else fattier cuts of pork. It is amazing with barbecue as a lot of people pick up forest floor and cracked peppercorn aromas in the wine that flatter any steak you toss on the barbecue, or any cut of meat you simmer in stew for hours.
