La vieille (the old one)
Château des Adouzes is situated in the medieval village of Roquessels in the heart of AOP Faugères. The appellation is exclusively composed of schists, one of the most prized terroirs in the world. “la Vieille” This cuvée come from old vine Carignan planted in 1929 and affectionately called “La Vieille.” It is blended with a bit of syrah from the same terroir.
APPELLATION: AOP Faugères.
SOILS: plot “La Vieille” planted on a schist hillside in the middle of the garrigue (Southern French countryside).
GRAPES: 90% carignan, 10% syrah
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
WINEMAKING: Traditional vinification with daily pump overs and 15 days vatting. Ageing in concrete tanks.
TASTING NOTES: lovely nose of red fruit and spice, intense and concentrated on the palate with silky tannins. It’s balanced by the characteristic freshness from Carignan.
SERVING: to drink in 3-8 years. Serve at 16- 17°C with grilled red meat, aged cheeses or simply by the fireplace with good friends!
Faugères is a small appellation very well-regarded for its red wines. It’s the only Languedoc appellation with a homogenous terroir throughout. Here, schist is king. This very infertile rock drains water, making roots go very deep into the soil to find it, down to fractures in the bedrock. This unique features makes the vines very resistant to drought. Schist also absorbs and stores heat during the day, slowly releasing it back at night, which promotes healthy grape ripening.
HVE3 CERTIFICATION AND CARBON NEUTRAL: Château des Adouzes is certified HVE 3, "Haute Valeur Environnementale level 3", the highest level of France's High Environmental Value Certification. It's a result of the vineyard's efforts towards virtuous agriculture: planting 2000 trees to preserve biodiversity, planting vineyard ground cover, mechanical soil work, pheromone dispensers, and etc. To limit the impact on the planet, the vineyard has reduced our CO2 emissions to a minimum. The vineyard also offset the CO2 emission by financing in ecological initiatives.
