WINES FROM DOMAINE LA ROQUETE
ABOUT DOMAINE LA ROQUETE
Domaine La Roquète joined Les Vignobles Brunier in 1986, when it already included its current 71.5 acres in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. To update the picture, add 7.5 acres of Vin de Pays vines on the banks of the Rhône.The latter terroir – in structure, exposure and location – differs greatly from those we previously knew; and confirmed that Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a huge mosaic of personalities. Our basic idea was naturally to highlight La Roquète’s identity, rooted in the lieux-dits we fast adopted – Piélong, Pignan, La Roquète, Colombis, Cabrière...
The first important job was to sort out the vineyards, including the 7.5 acres of white-grape varieties (planted in 1987) used to make Clos La Roquète; and to replant the dead vine-stocks across the estate, once it was decided to keep all the acquired vineyards.
The second capital step in La Roquète’s renaissance was to create a vat room for vinification; this was completed in early 1998 – at last, a precision tool to capitalise on the knowledge built up out on the ground in the first 10 years.
That same year, the red Pigeoulet’s definitive identity was sealed: the estate also embraced 17 acres of Côtes du Ventoux, to give its current size of almost 100 acres.
The personality of each wine developed steadily. And then we came across an old cadastral document from the early 20th century: in it, La Roquète was written with a backward-leaning accent. This prompted a new label design, and the creation of a selected-plot wine called L’Accent de La Roquète.
The estate has thus slowly and gradually risen in stature, affirming its personality around these terroirs’ freshness, finesse and elegance – terroirs summed up by Robert Parker, to whom the 2005 red Accent tasted “like a grand cru Musigny from Burgundy"
Website: http://www.brunier.fr/pagesgb/domainesroquete.htm
