Our Growers:

Romain Bouchard, Émmanuel's father, hails from the esteemed wine-making family of Burgundy. He managed a large orange plantation in Morocco until the early 1960s, when Morocco was granted independence by France and the French rapatriés came home to try to start over. Most came back with next to nothing in the way of assets. Burgundy was too crowded with Bouchards, so Romain settled in Valréas, a Southern Rhône Valley village.

In 1996, Émmanuel took over the small portion that was left of his father's former vineyard: a 10-acre gem of a sun-drenched, southeast-facing amphitheater of vines that sits, at 400 meters, on one of the highest points in Valréas. The amphitheater is protected from the strongest northerly winds by the surrounding peaks, and this

sheltered location together with the southeast exposure make for superb ripening. But at Valréas the temperatures fall considerably during the night, especially at these elevations, so the grapes are never cooked. The wine normally boasts cool, elegant aromatics.

The soil is clay-limestone, but not the classic red clay of the Vaucluse: it is terres blanches, "white clay" that is extremely calcareous. The limestone rocks found in this soil are very hard. It is the heavy limestone content in the terres blanches, as well as the cool micro-climate, that makes for the high acidity and elegance in Bouchard's Valréas, very atypical for a CDR Villages from the Vaucluse. The soil also holds water very well, so the vines never suffer from the stress of drought.

The vineyard is divided between Grenache (45%), Syrah (20%) and Gamay (35%), which Romain planted for the dark color, depth, and fruit it yields here. The farming started by Romain is being taken further by Émmanuel. He nurtures a carpet of leguminous grasses between the rows instead of saturating the vineyard with herbicides. The vineyard is now all-but organic. Insecticides are almost never used. The carpet of grasses has other advantages besides increasing the fauna in the soil: their roots serve as channels for drainage of surface water. The grasses compel the vine to send its roots down into the sub-soil for minerals instead of feeding on the surface; they compete with the vine and keep yields down; they help the soil remain moist and fresh and prevent drought; they are a natural, annual mulch; and, finally, they provide a carpet for the tractor, so that Émmanuel can enter his (otherwise impossibly muddy clay) rows to treat immediately after a rain rather than have to wait until his dense clay soil dries out. By being so timely with treatment, he can treat far more gently than others who need to saturate their vines.

Vinification is 'classic,' in the Burgundian sense: 100% de-stemmed with short vatting to conserve fruit and avoid extracting thick, bitter tannins. But Bouchard uses a Southern Rhône twist by aging in lined metal vats rather than in oak to conserve fruit and avoid oxidation. Press wine from a pneumatic press is integrated with the free-run juice. These wines last. And last, on their balanced structure based on acidity. These are Southern Rhônes for Burgundy-lovers who adore the aromas and flavors of the southern grape varieties, but in a structure more reminiscent of the Côte d'Or for its high-pitched, bright finesse. This is "food Rhône" par excellence.

The Valréas Villages (Signature) is 25% Syrah and 75% Grenache. There is no chaptalization, no acidification, no use of wood. In the nose, there are aromas of small black fruits such as blackberry, cassis and spices (cinnamon and pepper). In the mouth, the attack is straightforward without aggressiveness and then fine, dense tannins. There is a sensation of force as well as finesse. Serve with red or seasoned meat, duck, or game.

The Côtes du Rhône "Les Allards" ("Les Allards" is the name of the lieu-dit in which the vines are located) is composed of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah. The vines are mature: the average age is more than 30 years old. In the nose, this wine has aromas of fresh fruits such as lemon and pomegranate. In the mouth, the wine is full, with plump tannins which offer lots of volume and suppleness. This wine is good as an accompaniment to salads, avocados, grilled meats and white meats. It should be drunk while young to conserve its fruit; it is particularly good as a summer wine with salads.

The Côtes du Rhone "Enclave des Papes" is only made in the years when the Syrah is particularly good. It is composed of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. The vineyards which make up the Enclave des Papes are the northernmost vineyards in the southern Côtes du Rhône wine region and grow on stony, clay calcareous soil. The area, which has been making wines for centuries, was purchased by the Pope when he was stopping over at Avignon and tasted the wines and loved them and also felt that they helped heal him. There is no chaptalization or acidification and, for this vintage, no wood. In the nose, it is very aromatic, open, complex, and dominated by gentle spices like cinnamon and stronger aromas such as chocolate and coffee. In the mouth, the power and concentration form a tannic structure which is very evident but not astringent. The wine is a good one to keep; it also goes well with traditional dishes, such as red meats, seasons meat, duck, game, and plates based on truffle or cheeses such as goat cheese or roquefort.

Website: www.valdesrois.com