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4 products
4 products
Hommage à Robert Rouge - 2019,
Le Raisin Et L'Ange
This red is composed of 50% Gamay, 30% Merlot, and 20% Syrah. The harvest underwent two weeks of semicarbonic maceration, and the wine was neither filtered nor clarified before bottling. No sulfites were added, of course. It offers plenty of fruit, lusciousness, and lightness. At the time of writing, in 2021, it requires a little decanting to express all its tenderness and freshness.
Brân Rouge 2020,
Le Raisin Et L'Ange
Notes of undergrowth, tobacco, and spices, all accompanied by fresh, delicious, and indulgent fruit: this beautiful Ardèche red, fluid and full-bodied, is remarkable for its balance and adaptability. Perfect for all pairings and all occasions, it's not overpowering. In the Vin de France appellation, it's a blend of 100% Gamay. The grapes grew in a Mediterranean climate, with strong sunshine year-round. The vineyard is cultivated organically, and the harvest is entirely manual. The destemmed Gamay is macerated for fourteen days before pressing. Vinification and aging are carried out without any additives in stainless steel vats.
Find out more
Le Raisin et l’Ange is an Ardèche wine estate located at Mas de la Bégude, not far from Aubenas. It is a peaceful and serene place in the heart of the beautiful Ibie Valley, very close to the Ardèche Gorges. It has been run since 1983 by Gilles Azzoni, originally from Paris, who manages the farm and the six hectares of vineyard. From the beginning, Gilles has been concerned with practicing viticulture that respects nature. He wants to make “the wines he likes to drink”: thirst-quenching wines, not too alcoholic, and without added sulfites. He began by directing cultivation techniques towards organic farming, which was fully operational in 1997. The certifications (Ecocert and Nature & Progrès) were obtained in November 2010. Since his son, Antonin, took over the estate and assisted his father, a trading activity has been added to the farm's practices.
The terroir is dry, stony and clay-limestone. The vines are backed by hills and border the forest. The place has been cultivated for centuries, not only with vines but also with cereals (barley, rye). Not all of the vineyard area is exploited, and the vintages come from both the estate's grapes and organic grapes from other neighboring estates. Grown on-site or nearby, we find the typical varieties of the region—Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier—as well as Merlot, Gamay, Alicante, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. The cultivation and winemaking methods are entirely organic and natural: nothing is added to the vineyard, nothing added in the winery. Grassing of the soil and sowing of green manure are practiced. The estate is a member of the Association of Natural Wines (AVN).
Fable Rouge 2019,
Le Raisin Et L'Ange
70% Syrah, 30% Grenache: a typical blend from the southern Rhône Valley, vinified here using spontaneous carbonic maceration. The wine is aged in 30% oak barrels and 70% stainless steel vats. No sulfites are added, and no clarification or filtration is used before bottling. Dense, fresh, and fluid, it is already delicious but will benefit from ageing, up to ten years if you can manage it.
Pause Canon Rouge 2020,
Le Raisin Et L'Ange
Almost entirely Gamay, with ten percent Merlot, all vinified using spontaneous carbonic maceration. No sulfiting, clarification, or filtration at bottling. Dense, fresh, and fluid, it encourages conviviality and good humor. A wine full of fruit, sap, and character that is easy to drink and enjoyable, preferably in pleasant and large groups.
Gilles Azzoni
Where?
In the south of Ardèche, between the Cévennes and the Rhône Valley, Mas de la Bégude is a twenty-five-minute drive from Aubenas and forty minutes from Montélimar. It is a place of peace and serenity nestled in a valley, very close to the very touristy Ardèche Gorges but much quieter. After learning about vine pruning in Burgundy and viticulture in Bandol, Gilles Azzoni, originally from Paris, settled in La Bégude in November 1983, working the farm and six hectares of vineyard. From the beginning, his concern was to practice viticulture that respected nature. He wanted to make "the wines he loved to drink": thirst-quenching wines, not too alcoholic, and without added sulfites. It's not the easiest method, but "you have to love rock and roll," he says. Gilles began by turning to organic farming, which was fully implemented in 1997. Certifications (Ecocert and Nature & Progrès) were obtained in November 2010. Since his son, Antonin, took over the estate and assisted his father, a wine trading activity has been added to the farm's practices. Antonin chose not to take over all of Gilles's vines and focused on winemaking, a skill in which he excels. He hasn't touched his father's iconic vintages, Fable and Hommage à Robert; it is even said that he has added even more freshness to them.
Terroir, plots, and grape varieties
The terroir is that of southern Ardèche, dry, stony, and clay-limestone. The six hectares of vineyards nestle against the hills and border the forest. The site has been cultivated for centuries, not only with vines but also with cereals (barley, rye), in the form of terraced cultivation so common around the Mediterranean but now abandoned. A shame, according to the winemaker, because it was an excellent way to preserve the freshness of the soil in a willingly arid environment. Not all of the vineyards are cultivated, and the vintages come from both the estate's grapes and organic grapes from other neighboring estates. Since the wines are all Vin de France appellation, the greatest freedom is possible in the blends. Grown on site or nearby, the region's typical varieties are present—Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier—but there are also Merlot, Gamay, Alicante, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.
Growing Methods
Entirely organic, nothing is added to the vineyard, nothing added to the winery. Grassing the soil and sowing green manure are practiced. The estate is a member of the Natural Wine Association (AVN).
Vinification
The sloping terrain allowed the establishment, in the 1980s, of a fully gravity-fed winery from an earlier building that Gilles added a mezzanine. It is on this upper level that the harvest takes place. The grapes, carried by hand in their crates, are collected directly into four stainless steel fermentation vats, respectively named Zola, Brel, Chaplin, and Camus. These are also where the wines are aged. Bottling is also carried out by gravity. Three-quarters of the production is vinified using whole bunches, with carbonic maceration lasting eight days to a month to produce fresh and fruity wines. There is some pumping over, but no punching down. The combined winemaking and viticulture activities at the estate mean that the blends of the same cuvée, as well as their taste, can vary from one vintage to the next.
The Wines
Tasters are unanimous about the reds from Domaine Le Raisin et l'Ange: delicious, fresh, easy-drinking, and fruity, they are truly enjoyable wines, lively wines that often benefit from decanting. They immediately evoke sharing, friends, and tables: these are not wines to be drunk alone. Nor are the finely crafted whites, made from Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Grenache Blanc.
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