Viognier Blanc 2019

Viognier Blanc 2019,

Domaine des Miquettes

Paul Estève and Chrystelle Vareille are the founders of Domaine des Miquettes, whose distinctive feature is the use of Georgian techniques. They are passionate about this Caucasian country, the cradle of wine, where eight-thousand-year-old winemaking techniques are still used. At the heart of this viticulture is the qvevri, the buried jar where all the winemaking takes place: fermentation with skin maceration and aging. They set out to explore this country and returned with the decision to age all their wines in buried jars. They have twenty-six of them, but distinguish between tinajas (Spanish jars) for fermentation-maceration and buried "amphorae" for aging. No sulfur is added. For both reds and whites, terracotta erases astringency and transmutes it into a velvety texture, a fruity and supple material.
The estate, located in Ardèche, is south of the Saint-Joseph appellation. Paul trained with René-Jean Dard and François Ribo, two great figures of natural wine in the Rhône Valley. With Chrystelle, he began by taking over Paul's family farm with two ares of vines, then in 2004 the entire estate, which now covers 4.3 hectares. The white grape varieties are located around the house, the red grape varieties are planted on steep slopes, between 300 and 450 meters above sea level. The plots rest on a granite base with light soils: black mica granite, schist and gneiss. Everything is grown organically (Ecocert) with biodynamic practices. The vines are cared for and fortified with herbal decoctions and clay. The soils are worked by horse or winch and pickaxe. No chemical inputs are added to the vineyard work. The harvest is entirely manual.
A very fine single-varietal cuvée from the Domaine des Miquettes made from the noble Viognier from the Rhône Valley, its region of origin, where it gives its best. Its aromatic richness is highlighted by the terracotta vinification and the floral, fruity and mineral notes are of great opulence within a magnificent fresh framework.