Les Boules – Rouge, Vin de France – 2022/23

PRODUCER NOTE:
Remember the thrill of your first pastis in that wonderful bistro in the rambling rue just off le Place du Marché? The first time you spoke French? Perhaps your first love was with you. And remember the bliss of that first bottle of vin rouge? Barefoot in that Starry Starry Night? The trance-like pleasure of … being in France. These beautifully blended wines will bring back all of those memories! Les Boules wines have been sourced from vineyard sites in the South West of France, and blended and bottled for Hallgarten Druitt in Macon. We are looking for a very French type of wine, with fresh fruit and good acidity. Attractively packaged and priced.

VINTAGE:
2022 Vintage – The 2022 vintage was characterised by a hot, dry summer, which enabled the grapes to reach excellent concentration of flavours and great phenolic ripeness. The grapes were harvested under good conditions, the harvest produced high quality fruit from average quantity yields.

VINEYARD:
The fruit is mostly sourced from carefully selected vineyards in the Pays d’Oc, however additional fruit is added from other regions which adds complexity to the resulting blend and results in the Vin de Franc designation. The Pays d’Oc area has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters, with the majority of rainfall occurring during the spring and autumn. Dry, continental winds from the northwest bring cooling influences to the vineyards, which help to reduce disease pressure. This wind is interspersed with warm winds from the south, which bring moisture to the vines. Each vineyard site has its own terroir characteristics which add subtle complexity to the resulting wine.

WINEMAKING:
Each grape variety was cool-fermented separately in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve the purity of fruit and freshness in the resulting wine. Following fermentation, the wines were carefully blended.

TASTING NOTE:
A blend of southern French grapes, this is a beautifully balanced wine with a delicious forest fruit-scented joie de vivre, soft, juicy and appealing.

GRAPE:
2022 Vintage – Grenache Noir 40%, Marselan 40%, Carignan 10%, Syrah 10%.
2023 Vintage – Merlot 50%, Grenache Noir 30%, Carignan 20%.