Winemaker Bertrand Sourdais has really made a name for himself in the past decade. After taking over the family estate in 2005, he converted the entire 33 hectares to organics and pushed the winemaking forwards to really elevate the whole stable of wines. This was while, just casually, living 5 months of the year in Spain and running 2 winemaking projects there! His infinitely patient wife Olga Escudero lives there, being a native of the region.
Domaine de Pallus has been producing quality Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc for decades, but with Bertrand’s know-how the wines have achieved something very special. The adherence to organics has certainly helped, and the meticulous work in the vineyards is something to behold. Having worked around Europe, Bertrand is choc-full of knowledge, and imparts this to his own domaine.
This is from a single walled vineyard (referred to as a ‘clos’ in French wine literature’) named Briancon, where the soil is a mix of sand and pebbles. It’s a medium-bodied wine with lovely purity of red fruit – think raspberry and pomegranate – that has just enough earthiness in the background to make it serious. Notes of green peppercorn, limestone and undergrowth fill in the blanks.
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