2023 Gramenon La Papesse
WINEMAKER: Michèle Aubéry & Maxime-François Laurent
REGION: Rhône, FR
VARIETY: Grenache, Syrah
VITICULTURE: Biodynamic
"This is a spectacular 10ha parcel of old vines that Michelle and husband Philippe purchased in the nineties; it is south of the Gramenon estate in Vinsobres and is mostly Grenache but there are also Syrah vines planted there. The vines these days are about 70 yars old. Michelle was left to develop this parcel herself when Philippe tragically died in a hunting accident in 1998; she in fact sold half the property to the Perrin family of Beaucastel fame so as to concentrate on the parcel she favoured and at a size that she was able to manage. As a wine it is a Vin de Garde as it has the concentration, dimension and density to cellar incredibly well. The fruit glistens as it does in all the wines, it is dark in tone and has a real brooding intensity. It is glorious in the mouth and incredibly long flavoured shaped by fine tannin and vibrant acidity. A wonderous wine but one to keep; once it unravels in years to come it will be a thing of beauty. A favorite of Michele" - Andrew Guard
The iconic Domaine Gramenon originates back in 1978 when Philippe Laurent and Michele Aubery-Laurent purchased 12 hectares of vines and an old barn. The first wine produced was in 1979 and was the first vintage of their now iconic and cult 'Ceps Centainaires' This original part of the domaine is located at 300 meters above sea level on a rare limestone bench. Over the years the domaine has expanded to 25 hectares by planting more vines, purchasing 4.5 hectares of plots in Vinsobres in 1999, and land in nearby Valreas in 2007 (now sold) and Taulignan in 2019. Today the estate is run by Michele Aubery and one of her children, son Maxime-Francois Laurent. The estate is officially certified Biodynamic by Demeter (since 2009) but has been farmed in a bio-organic manner since the mid 1980's. As their vineyards are isolated from others they do not have to worry about any cross-pollution from their neighbours spraying.