White Rhône Blend, Dom. de la Solitude

40% Roussanne/35% Clairette/20% Grenache Blanc/5% Bourboulenc

The Lançon family, owners of Domaine de la Solitude, descend directly from the 12th Century Barberini family of Rome. The best known of the family, Maffeo Barberini, was a papal nuncio, or diplomatic representative, in Paris from 1604 to 1606, and was made Pope in Rome under the name Pope Urban VIII. Two of his nephews became cardinals and a part of the family then settled down in Avignon. In the 1980s, brothers Michel and Jean Lançon took the future of Domaine de la Solitude in their hands, focusing attention on the vineyards. Over the past several years, Michel’s son Florent Lançon has taken over the day-to-day operations of Domaine de la Solitude, continuing to make improvements while preserving the traditions of his father and uncle. The Estate is a contiguous 100 acres, planted to 86 acres of red grapes and 14.8 acres of white grapes, with vines averaging 50 years of age.

Complex nose of tropical fruit and brioche. Mouth combining vivacity and smoothness with notes of citrus, tropical fruit and flowers with a very mineral finish. Sorting the grapes by hand, gentle pressing of champagne type using pneumatic presses. Fermentation and aging are done in barrels for Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc. Clairette, Bouboulenc and Picpoul are co-fermented in vats. Malolactic fermentation is carried out for the Roussanne. This year 10% of the blend is vinified by long maceration, which means that those white grapes were vinified like red grapes. This cuvée is aged for 40% in barrels, on fine lees, for 10 months.