Domaine Viret, St.Maurice sur Eygues (Côtes du Rhône)
Un Vigneron pas comme les autres! A couple of weeks ago we had a wonderful bottle of 2001 Les Colonnades back in Avignon. So without any notion of what I was getting into I stopped by at Domaine Viret, also known as Clos du Paradis, in St.Maurice sur Eygues. The village, halfway between Ste.Cécile les Vignes and Nyons, is not much to talk about except that it was heavily damaged during the 2002 flood. The area can carry the Côtes du Rhône Village AOC label. Most winegrowers sell to the local cooperative, which has not distinguished itself as far as I know. Domaine Viret is a bit hard to find. There are signs leading to the winery from the village center, but they tend to disappear or can easily be overlooked. Anyway, I finally make it up the hill and I am faced with a large square building made of huge stone blocks. Great Manitou! You enter the building and you are in a cool (temperature wise) cathedral like building, columns, a dome with a glass cupola and directly under it an illuminated crystal.
They are using a winegrowing and winemaking technique they call "Cosmoculture". I listened sceptically (I was born and raised in NYC - thousands of miles from Sedona) and tasted. Whatever it is they do and believe in they are quite down to earth and very capable winemakers. They use biodynamic methods on their 50 ha estate with some very old vines. Grapes are hand picked and the first selection process takes place right there. Common to all their wines is light crushing, long maceration (30 days plus) and bottling without filtration, fining or the use of sulphur. I would say the rest, i.e. obeying ancient energizing principles, like standing stones in the vineyards, which capture the planets' energy and various beneficial flows of energy in the winemaking process is their business. If it helps, why not! They certainly seem to understand their business. Back home I did some more research on "Cosmoculture", and came across the article Cosmoculture: qu’est-ce-que c’est written (in English) by Denyse Louis.
I tasted the following 2003 vintages at the caveau:
Renaissance is the non-oaked cuvée made from 75% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 5% Carignan. Deep purple colour, but the rather complex bouquet indicates that it needed a bit more ageing. Earth, truffles and a hint of black pepper, chocolate and only mildly tannic. An excellent red, should be optimal for drinking in 2007 - 2010.
Emergence is a full bodied, powerful wine with an intense bouquet and lots of tannin. Grapes are from very old vines, some are more than 100 years old and aged in oak. They use Grenache 60%, Syrah 25% and Carignan 15%.
Les Colonnades is less oaky, a very pleasant compromise between the Renaissance and Emergence line. Again a very aromatic bouquet of Provence herbs, leather and earth with a tinge of red berries and chocolate. Very complex and lots of alcohol.
Great wines with good ageing potential; good for long winter evenings when the Mistral blows. If they were located in Châteauneuf du Pape or Gigondas they would be famous, but who ever heard of St.Maurice sur Eygues? Can you see the disadvantage of a mindset ruled by the AOC system?
Domaine Viret, 26110 St. Maurice sur Eygues, Tel:+33 (0)4 75 27 62 77.
