2019-C Chateau Cabrieres 'Petit Cabrieres,' Vaucluse, Rhone Valley, France (750ml)   

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A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Dark burgundy with a touch of garnet. Inviting aromas of bramble fruit mingled with savory herbs, and dusty, chalky mineral notes. The palate shows stewed blackberry, dark plum and a touch of violet. The tannins are firm but smooth, with well-balanced acid through the long, slightly spicy finish.

While the history of Château Cabrières dates back to the fi‹teenth century, the story of the winery as we know it began when it was purchased by the Arnaud family, which has owned the property for three generations now. In 2009, Guy Arnaud handed the reins to his daughter Agnes, who along with her husband, Patrick Vernier, now manage the vineyards and cellar. The estate is situated 3 kilometers north of the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the city of Orange. The terraced vineyards boast several parcels that were planted as early as 1900, growing the 13 gape varietals permitted in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Historically, the harvest was sold to negociants; in 1955 the Arnauds began to produce, bottle and sell their own wine under the name Domaine Cabrières. At some point in the 1960s, the name was changed to Château Cabrières. The estate takes its name from one of the more prestigious lieux-dits where their vines are planted. This unique terrain consists mainly of alpine diluvium and chalk miocenian soil with large flint pebbles covering the surface, which act to conserve the heat of the day during the night.

The Petit Cabrières—a veritable “baby Châteauneuf-du-Pape”—is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 10% Cinsault. At harvest, the grapes were selected and sorted—not once, but twice—by hand. The gapes were then destemmed and crushed. The musts were fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel, with each varietal vinified separately and then blended. The result is a bright and lively wine that showcases the marvelous terroir of Orange.