Region: AOC Chateauneuf Du Pape, Rhone Valley, France Size: 750 ml Alcohol: 14.5% Grapes: 100% Grenache Enjoy at 16-18°C Tasting Note: Manarine’s leads with deep and mouth-filling black raspberry, dark cherry, and tooth-staining mulberry fruit. Behind the plush, luxuriously dark fruit there are layers and layers of berry liqueur, Mediterranean spices, sweet licorice and blue flowers. Winemaking: Manual harvest at optimal ripeness of the grapes. The grapes for this wine are then partially destemmed (about 50%) and are fermented in stainless steel tanks for about 30 days before the wine is pressed. The wine is then racked and aged in a combination of stainless steel and large oak barrels for 18 months before being assembled and bottled. About Domaine La Manarine: Domaine La Manarine is located in the town of TRAVAILLAN in Vaucluse, a small village of 676 inhabitants located 35 km north of Avignon, 10 km east of Orange and 20 km west of Vaison la Romaine. The domaine was created by Gilles Gasq in April 2001. The winery and majority of his vineyards are located within the commune of Travaillan, on a splendid plateau northeast of Orange in the southern Rhone. Gilles is a talented vigneron who has honed his skills working as an assistant to Paul Jeune, the proprietor of Domaine Monpertuis in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.Domaine La Manarine practices organic viticulture. Work in the cellar is minimal with little intervention. Fermentations are left to start with indigenous yeasts, with no fining and only a light filtration is utilized if needed. About Chateauneuf du Pape: It has been Gasq’s dream to find a slice of the most esteemed terroir in the Southern Rhone, and as you can imagine the competition to purchase land in Châteauneuf du Pape can be fierce. Fortunately, in 2015, Gasq managed to purchase two adjacent parcels in the northern sector of the appellation. The two lieux dits, “Cabriéres” and “Pied de Baud” (Bois de Boursan also owns a parcel in Pied de Baud – it routinely is part of the “Cuvee Felix”) total 1.5 hectare and are comprised of 100% Grenache with an average age of 45 years. While they are nestled side by side, the two parcels are distinctly different: “Pied de Baud” has a sandy based soil, while “Cabriéres” is stonier, riddled with the larger galet stones for which Châteauneuf du Pape is known. Situated in the northern reaches of the appellation, these two sites are much cooler than the rest of the appellation, making a wine that is fresher and considerably less tannic.
