Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueyras 2023 - 750ml

91pts Wine Spectator

Caressing and densely packed, with seductive ripe fruit backed by fine-grained tannins. Smoked apple wood and ganache drift on the finish, grounded by iron and acid verve. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2029. 1,300 cases made, 450 cases imported.

Winemaker Notes

Primarily Grenache (around 60%) and Syrah (around 40%)

The wine generally presents dark fruit aromas such as black cherries, raspberries, and blackberries, with notes of violets, black pepper, and wild herbs (garrigue). It is medium to full-bodied with smooth tannins.

Winery Notes

It was in 1912 that Eugene Maret bought Domaine de la Charbonniere as a gift for his wife who was a native of Chateauneuf and the daughter of a winemaker. Their son Fernand Maret inherited a part of the Domaine and enlarged it upon the birth of his son Michel.

Today Michel Maret had over 16 hectares of vineyards located in the high plateaux of Les Brusquieres and La Crau both covered with the famous cailloux roulets and at Mourre des Perdix, sandy soil dotted with larger stones.

The passion and know-how of the winemaker, handpicking of the fruit, and careful sorting at the winery enable Michel Maret to optimize all the promise of a great terrior.

The vinification at the Domaine follows the classic style: no destemming, and three weeks fermentation in stainless steel vats, after which the wine is aged in large oak fourdes for 12-18 months.