Producer: Domaine Serre Besson

In Vinsobres, in the Provençal Baronnies, the wines of Domaine Serre-Besson are produced artisanally and organically by former Californian sommelier, Victor Taylor. They are deep, fruity, and long — an authentic signature of the terroir.

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Domaine Serre-Besson

Vinsobres (Drôme)

Even though the estate has been fully renovated, the wines are a classic and faithful expression of the Vinsobres terroir.

Decanter

Where?

Vinsobres, a village in the Provençal Baronnies, has been producing wines for centuries. Since 2006, its wines have had their own Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, with twenty-four estates and three cooperatives located near the Gigondas and Vacqueyras appellations. Olive trees (AOC Nyons), lavender, and truffles in winter are other local treasures. This is Northern Provence, more discreet and quieter but no less beautiful than the South. In addition, Vinsobres is famous for its almond biscuits.

Less than a kilometer away, the Serre-Besson estate is located on the hillsides. It comprises an old building, now renovated, surrounded by vineyards. In 2011, Victor Taylor, a sommelier and former catering director at the Carlyle Hotel in New York, fell in love with a small estate for sale: three hectares of vines surrounding an old building. "I signed that very day," he says. First, he renovated the house and revitalized the vineyard, replanting wherever necessary and trellising. Then, he built a gravity-flow winery, converted the vineyard to organic farming, and carefully listened to the good advice of his neighboring winemakers to seriously get into viticulture. In 2015, the operating company Poor Devil Wines was born, an allusion to the state in which the new owner found the property. Soon, the red wines (plus a rosé) from Serre-Besson began to make a name for themselves, collecting stars and distinctions.

Terroir, vineyard plots, and grape varieties

The estate spans four and a half hectares around the house and wine buildings. The vines, arranged in terraces and facing south, are protected from the mistral wind by a forest to the north. It is bordered by two ravines and irrigated by several natural springs, a significant asset in this Provençal Drôme where water, scarce and coveted, has always been the sine qua non for the survival of properties.

The grape varieties are those of the appellation: Syrah on the higher slopes, bordering the forest; Grenache, Viognier, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre on the lower terraces. The soils are a mixture of clay, limestone, sand, and river pebbles.

Cultivation methods

The estate is managed organically. The small size of the vineyard allows for artisanal work of the vines. Yields on the plots are limited. The periphery of the grape bunches is defoliated to achieve better concentration and intensify the color of the wines. Harvesting is manual, transported in 20kg crates, and sorted by hand.

Winemaking

To optimize blending, the vinification of each grape variety and each plot is done separately. The harvest is destemmed, then transferred by gravity into concrete fermentation tanks. After fermentation and pressing, a portion of the harvest is aged in 400-liter barrels. Organic certification allowed for the creation of a natural Grenache cuvée, Pauvre Diable, which we offer.

The wines

The wines from Domaine Serre-Besson do not aim to revolutionize viticulture but to revitalize an ancient estate by producing artisanal and drinkable wines, favoring the purest expression of its terroir. The reds are praised for their very Southern Côtes-du-Rhône profile: deep, dense yet fluid, with notes of leather, black fruits, and truffle, they have an ethereal, celestial, and fresh quality. Three wines are produced: a Vinsobres cru, a blend of black Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Carignan; a maceration rosé (black Grenache, Syrah, and Viognier), and Pauvre Diable, the natural red cuvée, all Grenache.