Syrah 2021 - Pré des Pierres - AOC Valais

100% Syrah

Syrah is one of the most beautiful grape varieties of the French Rhône Valley. It is quite natural that it has found a second home in Valais, on the banks of the Rhône. Syrah, with its purple colour, expresses itself with notes of spices, black pepper and wild berries. On the Pré des Pierre terroir, its expression is both fruity and racy.

The grapes are harvested by hand at optimum maturity.

We carry out cold maceration for 10 to 15 days and then start the fermentation process. We maintain a fermentation temperature of around 25°C and carry out light punching downs during the 10-15 days of fermentation. Decanting is decided by tasting.

The pressing is as delicate as possible and we separate the free-run juice from the press juice to make a blend that best reflects the finesse of each vintage.

The Syrah is then aged in oak barrels for 14 months. 50% of the barrels are new oak from the Tonnellerie François Frères in Burgundy, the remaining 50% are 1-wine oak barrels (having already vinified one vintage).

After maturation, the Syrah is lightly filtered and then bottled. We market the Syrah - Pré des Pierres a few months after bottling to give the wine time to develop before marketing.

The year 2021 was a rare challenge for the winegrowers. Just as the vines were starting to bud, the nights of 6 and 7 April saw persistent cold which caused frost damage, particularly to early budding grape varieties such as Cornalin and Arvine.

Throughout the vegetation period, from May to July, there was a succession of climatic hazards, notably hail and very heavy rainfall, which favoured the development of diseases, particularly mildew. The incessant rainfall in July and the rare windows of dry weather made plant health control particularly difficult. Depending on the grape variety and the sector, the winegrowers could only observe the extent of the damage caused by mildew to the harvest.

The harvest was particularly late. They were spread out over the whole month of October. The severe sorting of the harvest and the elimination of damaged or under-ripe grapes increased the time needed for harvesting tenfold, but allowed for good quality grapes.

A sustained acidity gives the wines of the vintage a jovial freshness. The white wines display an intense fruitiness where elegance and vivacity are combined. The red wines, dressed in a bright and intense colour, reveal charming aromatic expressions of fruit and spices and generous concentrations. Wines full of audacity that promise all sorts of pleasures.

A Syrah with notes of lightly roasted mocha and elderberry.

Generous cherry and raspberry flavours with a roasted finish.

This Syrah will go wonderfully well with a spicy lamb tagine or a duck breast.

Ageing potential of 6 to 8 years (in good temperature and humidity conditions).