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30km due west of Avignon sits the small village of Collias. Here, on the banks of the Gardon, Julien Mary of Domaine de la Goguette is producing highly focused, atypical wines in a region that many wine enthusiasts have written off.
After several years of backpacking around the world, Julien returned to his native region in 2017 to take up an apprenticeship with Nicolas Renaud of Le Clos Grillons. Originally a university geology professor, Nicolas is renowned for his knowledge of terroir and farming. For 5 vintages Julien worked daily with Nicolas, honing his skills in the vines and in the cellar.
In late 2020 Julien acquired a long-term lease on just over 2 hectares of old vine Grenache and Syrah, rooted in sandy clay and limestone soils near the village of Collias. Soon after he was able to take over an old cellar in the heart of the village that had been the home of Domaine des Cabotines. Thus, Domaine de la Goguette was born.
Julien works his vineyards with respect for the vines, and wholeheartedly believes the wine is made in the vineyard. Cover crops are left spontaneously grassed throughout the year to establish plant cover, de-compacted and draining soils, and fertile organic matter. In the winter, grazing Sheep provide weed control and natural fertilizer. The Domaine has been certified Organic since the 2022 vintage, and Julien strives to use as few antifungal treatments as possible with only minimal amounts Bordeaux mixture used when absolutely necessary.
In the cellar Julien takes a non-interventionist approach. He is determined to make natural wines, that represent his vision for the future of wine in the Southern Rhône. During the vinification the wines undergo very minimal to no intervention. All fermentations begin spontaneously using only the naturally occurring indigenous yeasts, and light sulfur additions are made on some but not all the cuvées.
Having the great fortune of stumbling across Julien and his wonderful wife Lisa in January 2022 is what makes this job worth doing. Perhaps never again will we be fortunate enough to taste the inaugural vintage from such a promising vigneron. These are soulful wines, and we are thrilled to be a part of the Domaine de la Goguette story.
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Region: Southern Rhône
Appellation: Vin de France
Grapes: 90% Grenache Noir, 10% Cinsault (the Cinsault was sourced form Biodynamic certified vineyards in the Southern Rhône)
Average Vine Age: 50 years
Altitude: 130 to 165 feet (40-50m)
Soils/Terroir: Sandy red clay (argiles sableuses) and Clay-limestone (argilo-calcaire)
Farming: Organic
Harvest: Hand harvested
Yield: 20hl/ha
Winemaking: The Grenache Noir and Cinsault were harvested on the same day and undergo a 12-day whole cluster maceration (semi-carbonic) in large concrete tanks. Fermentation began spontaneously using only the naturally occurring indigenous yeasts. On the 12th day the grapes were pressed and transferred back to the concrete tanks to finish fermentation.
Maturation: Aged 8 months, 70% in fiber tanks and 30% in used 228L and 500L oak barrels of 3 to 6 vintages. 1 month prior to bottling a low dose of sulfur (1g/hl) was added to the wine. Bottled without fining or filtration.
-Terres Blanches