Featured Winemaker

Vincent Ricard

Domaine Vincent Ricard

Vincent Ricard

Vincent Ricard began his activity in 1999 but he has generations of winemakers behind him : His grandfather was one of the 3 associates who created the Oisly-Thésée wine-coop . He now works on 14,5 hectares . Was working on 17 hectares not long ago but he views himself ideally with a 12-13 hectares vineyard . It is a surface that can be handled, quietly and seriously, as needed for the type of work in the vineyard he does : Earthing down under the rows, keeping grass and weeds between them, meticulous pruning . His serious work in the vineyard, at the harvest, and when maturing the wines, has brought him beautiful results that led to recognition worldwide . 65 % of his wine is for export ( U.S. : Petit Pois Corp ) .
Most of the vineyard is in Sauvignon, with small surfaces of Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Cot ( Malbec ).

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Featured Wine

Batzella Red “Digia”

Batzella

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Appellation of origin: Bolgheri DOC Rosso

Grape varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Syrah 40%, Cabernet Franc 10%

Yield/acre: 3.2 tons/acre

Winemaking regime: separate fermentation of varietals, aged in part for 6 months in French oaks

WINE CHARACTERISTICS
intense ruby red, fresh aroma of red fruits and spices, lean, elegant palate with good structure, soft tannins, long finish.

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Combier Crozes-Hermitage “Cuvee Laurent”

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Grape Varieties
100% Syrah

Food Matching Note
Outstanding with rich red meat dishes, game or even hard cheese at the end of a meal.

Tasting Note
Almost opaque with a purple hue, this is classic syrah from the Northern Rhone. Rich and spicy on the nose with an underlying savoury quality, the palate is rich and spicy too, with ripe approachable tannins. The finish is long, smooth and velvety.

Vinification Note
The Cuvee Laurent is a new addition to the range from Laurent Combier and exhibits all the class and finesse that we have come to expect from this extremely talented winemaker and charming man. The syrah is all hand harvested from Laurents own immaculate vineyards and is vinified in his new cellar, equipped as one would expect with the most modern equipment.

Laurent however believes - as do many of the great winemakers - that fine wines are grown, not made, and he takes as hands off as possible approach to the winemaking, using for example wild yeasts for fermentation. The wine sees a brief period in oak before being bottled and released.