25 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Blanc 2008
Clos du Rouge Gorge, Cyril Fhal

Grape:100% Macabéo (12% alc.)

70 year old macabéo planted on two parcels of gneiss and orthogneiss (north and east-facing which helps to preserve freshness) and aged in two to three year old barriques (with no bâtonnage) gives a fresh and beautifully balanced wine with an intense fruit quality and a long terroir-driven finish. Limited quantity. For drinking now to 2015.

Technical Information
Winemaker:	Cyril Fhal (trained with Mark Angeli and Charlie Foucault in the Loire)
Location:	Latour de France (one of the best villages for Roussillon-Villages wines)
Size of domaine:	5 hectares (inc ½ hectare of white)
Grape:	Macabeo (70 yrs old) – 4400 vines per hectare planted in old gobelet formation.
Terroir:	Sandy, silty soil derived from mother rock of gneiss which is found 80cm from the surface. North and east facing parcels at 150-200 mtrs altitude.
Viticulture:	Since buying the vines in 2002, main aim to revitalise the soils. Ploughs the soil, uses no chemical pesticides or weedkillers in conversion to bio-dynamic viticulture (Demeter). No heavy tractors used. Hand harvested and table de trie used to check every individual grape. 25 hectos per hectare yields.
Vinification:	Grapes pressed and no sulphur used before vinification. Allowed to settle overnight then transferred to 2-3 year old barrels. Slow fermentations then proceed, lasting roughly 3 months for both the alchoholic and malolactic fermentations. Aged for total of 10 months in barrel on the fine lees. No batonnage. Bottled by hand by gravity.
Press:

 

qty (bottles)

exc vat: £15.21