Davoche Sol y lès 2023
- Region
- France » Vin de France
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2023
- Grapes
- Carignan
- Alcohol
- 13
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- 1 bottles
This wine is made from Carignan Noir grown in an 80-year-old vineyard on schist soils. The grapes underwent a gentle four-day maceration with very light stomping, followed by a basket press. The wine was aged for nine months in old oak barrels and bottle-aged for an additional six months before release.
Ratings
Volatile acidity plays peek-a-boo with forest berries and menthol notes. Structurally, it's smooth like kisel, making it dangerously drinkable. Don't let its apparent simplicity fool you - there's complexity hiding beneath that approachable exterior. Smoke and wormwood notes add intrigue. Not necessarily a long-term cellar candidate, but who cares when it's this enjoyable now?
About Producer
Tess Davison and Charles Ripoche's winemaking journey as Davoche Wines began in 2021 with a simple yet ambitious plan. They started with their négociant range, Clafoutis, working closely with trusted growers while simultaneously laying the groundwork for their own venture. Their patience paid off - they now tend to 2.5 hectares of heritage vines in Cassagnes, a windswept corner of Roussillon where the sun seems to have a special relationship with the soil.
Their backgrounds read like a gastronomic adventure novel. Tess, an Australian native, earned her stripes in some of Europe's most prestigious kitchens - Noma, Mugaritz, and Le Manoir - before trading her chef's knife for pruning shears and diving into oenology. Meanwhile, Charles, born and bred in the Loire Valley, learned his craft under wine world heavyweights: Antoine Foucault of Domaine du Collier (whose father Charly made Clos Rougeard legendary) and Cyril Fhal of Clos du Rouge Gorge. Their paths crossed at Felton Road in New Zealand - because sometimes the wine world has a sense of humour about bringing people together.
Now settled in southern France, they've embraced a philosophy that's both old-school and forward-thinking. Their approach to farming is hands-on and thoughtful - they're planting carob trees for nitrogen fixation, adding strawberry and peach trees for diversity, and creating homes for everything from bees to bats. They work biodynamically, making low-to-no sulfite, unfiltered wines with short macerations - a technique they picked up from their mentor Cyril Fhal.