Davoche Karaka 2023
- Region
- France » Vin de France
- Type
- white still, dry
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2023
- Grapes
- Macabeo, Grenache blanc
- Alcohol
- 12
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- 1 bottles
This is a white wine made with one week of skin-contact maceration, crafted from a 50/50 blend of Macabeu and Grenache Blanc. The vineyards, aged 80 and 14 years respectively, are planted on schist slate soils.
The Grenache Blanc was harvested at just 11.5% potential alcohol and destemmed, while the Macabeu, picked at 13%, was left whole bunch. This careful balance resulted in a perfectly ripe final wine at 12% ABV.
To refine its texture, the wine was aged for nine months in a mix of old oak barrels, which helped soften the tannins, giving it a rounded mouthfeel. Following this, the wine was bottle-aged for an additional six months before its release.
Ratings
Playing hard to get at first, but patience reveals a serious orange wine that's clearly read its classics. Sure, youth is holding it back a bit, but there's real muscle under that reserved exterior. Think Carso-style attitude - herbaceous notes, orange peel, and this fascinating menthol freshness. Pencil shavings sneak in there too. It's like a good book - complex but not shouting about it, with layers you'll keep discovering.
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.