Muscat de Beaumes de Venise Blanc 2023

A year of extremes with abrupt climate variations, as we have seen frequently recently.

A very dry winter with only 2 weeks of cold at the end of January, the vines began to bud around March 10. The dry weather persisted until May 12, date when a sudden change in climate with first rain of a long series, who continued until the end of June. This moisture during the most sensitive period for the vines put our teams in the vineyards to the test, requiring a lot of work and attention!

This spring water has been beneficial for the growth and ripening of the grapes during a hot summer, particularly in August and September. The harvest were important after 2 years of small yields. Harvesting began on August 31 for the whites and mid-September for the reds. The harvest tooks place in ideal conditions and promises wines of beautiful maturity and great potential!

Spreads out over the south-east side of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills, in Beaumes de Venise in the southern part of the Rhone valley.

On a poor sandy, hungry and arid soil consisting of tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.

The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.

The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.

We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).

We use and abide by countrywide standards for ‘sustainable agriculture’.

As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques . Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.

In the spirit of respecting traditional techniques and the best elements of modern technology, cellar manager Andrew Hall and his winemaker son Romain Hall take family traditions very seriously.

When making our wines, the Muscat de Beaumes de Venise plays a central role and requires great care. After picking the grapes by hand, we press them straightaway to ferment the juice without skins. We don’t add any yeasts and keep the alcoholic fermentation in check by
temperature control. Vin Doux Naturel winemaking involves stopping fermentation to preserve the grapes’ natural sweetness. During vinification, we watch the vats day and night and add the fortifying spirit just at the right moment. At this stage, the wine’s final balance is at stake. The wine is then aged in stainless steel tanks for 6 months before bottling.