Val Des Rois
Côtes du Rhône Allards 2021
Les Allards is named after the area between Valréas and Vinsobres and is produced without SO2 (“sans soufre” in French). While most Rhône wines are blends, this Côtes du Rhône is made entirely from nearly 100-year-old Grenache vines. The absence of oak keeps the wine light and airy. Bright, brambly berry fruit mingles with herbal garrigue notes on this inviting nose. The palate is driven by fresh, crunchy red and blue fruit. Only 650 cases are made each year.
Vineyard
Les Allards is planted on clay-limestone slopes with beautiful south-east exposure. The vines are abput 80 years old and sit at around 1,300 feet above sea level.
Winemaking
Closed concrete tanks are fed via gravity. The vinification process is fully protected from oxygen, performed under nitrogen gas, and the equipment is systematically sterilized. Fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeast. The wine ages in concrete and is bottled without any sulfur addition.
Vintage
2021 was a tough vintage in the Southern Rhone that was marked by cold weather (frost in some cases) and rainy conditions. That said, producers who focused on freshness faired much better than those who tried to make opulent, oak driven wines.
Tasting Note
Bright, brambly berry fruit mingles with herbal garrigue notes on this inviting nose. The palate is driven by fresh, crunchy red and blue fruit.
Color
Red
