Domaine de la Rameau 2018 - AOC Valais
Our top of the range red is produced in 2018 from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Cornalin grape varieties. A wine highlighting the power of the Chamoson terroirs.
Grape varieties
30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cornalin.
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. Late-ripening, it found soils and a climate to its liking in Valais. With its very full-bodied and tannic structure, Cabernet Sauvignon brings density and power to this blend.
Cabernet Franc is a more discreet grape variety globally, but it is considered one of the great red grape varieties of the Loire Valley, Bordeaux and Valais. This late-ripening grape variety brings elegance and typical aromas of tobacco and leather to this blend.
Cornalin is an indigenous grape variety in Valais, some of which is found in the Aosta Valley under the name Rouge du Pays. Lately mature, capricious and difficult to work, Cornalin was almost abandoned in the middle of the 20th century. Its extraordinary fruity strength, its insolent youth and its body that is both elegant and vinous bring the final touch to this extraordinary blend.
Winemaking
The harvest of the different grape varieties is done manually according to maturity. Each grape variety is vatted separately in order to achieve the most precise macerations possible depending on the grape variety.
We carry out cold macerations for 10 to 15 days then the fermentations begin. We maintain a fermentation temperature around 25°C and we carry out light punching down during the 10-15 days of fermentation. The devattings are decided by tastings.
The pressing is as delicate as possible and we separate the free-run juices and the press juices in order to produce a blend that best reflects the finesse of each vintage. We create the blend of different grape varieties after pressing, then the wines are put into oak barrels for aging for 14 months. 80% of the barrels are new oak barrels from Tonnellerie François Frères in Burgundy, the remaining 20% are oak barrels from 1 wine (having already vinified a vintage).
After aging, the wines are lightly filtered then bottled. We market the wines 1 year after bottling in order to give the wine time to flourish before being marketed.
Vintage 2018
The year 2018 was characterised by a marked lack of rainfall throughout the vegetation and ripening period. These hot and dry weather conditions were particularly beneficial to the vines and were very unfavourable to fungal diseases and other pests.
Officially opened on 10 September, the harvest lasted four weeks and took place in very good weather conditions. The irreproachable sanitary state allowed the harvesting of high quality grapes.
The 2018 vintage is a reflection of the past wine season. The hot summer conditions allowed the production of healthy grapes with optimal ripeness. The alternation of warm days and cool nights in September helped preserve the aromatic potential of the wines. At harvest time, the berries were small due to the hot and dry summer. This phenomenon allowed a remarkable concentration of sugars, aromas and colouring matter.
An unexpected and surprising freshness gives energy and vitality to the wines. They are powerful, fleshy and display an insolent and dynamic opulence, which is exceptional for a hot and early vintage.
The white wines offer a beautiful exuberance in the perfumes and aromas. On the palate, the fruitiness is brilliant, combining floral notes and ripe fruit while retaining a surprising freshness. The red wines reveal a rich palette of black fruits and warm spices with beautiful, silky, melted tannins.
Tasting
A nose of black cherry, cocoa, leather and cold tobacco.
This wine for aging expresses itself on the palate with notes of blackcurrant, blackberries with tannins which require a little time to develop a patina.
A wine that will pair wonderfully with a rack of lamb with rosemary or a nice piece of red meat.
Conservation
10 to 15 years (in good temperature and humidity conditions).
