LA PETITE OURSE 2021 (Pascal CHALON)

TERROIR

LA PETITE OURSE is a blend of Grenache and Syrah, whose grapes come from the VISAN terroir.

The label can be confusing, LA GRANDE OURSE being the estate name and the name of another cuvée as well.
Here, it is LA PETITE OURSE, the only estate wine whose grapes come from the VISAN terroir.

The plots of the VISAN terroir are based on a soil made up of a thick and sandy clay silt layer, that built up recently and is of fluvial origin : this silt layer covers a substrate made up of limestone gravels that were deposited in the Quaternary during the last Rissian glaciations, two million years ago.

WINEGROWING & WINEMAKING

The vines are cultivated according to the Organic Farming principles, with use of biodynamic preparations and herbal teas for the care.

The grapes are harvested manually and are sorted directly in the vineyard at picking time. They are completely destemmed then crushed and vinified separately, grape variety by grape variety, with moderate use of sulphites throughout the vinification phase.
Maceration lasts about 3 weeks, alcoholic fermentation stars spontaneously under the indigenous yeasts action, and the skins are regularly mixed with the must by daily pumping over (action which consists in drawing the juice from the tank bottom to pour it back to the top of the marc's hat). A few punching-downs (breaking down of the marc cap using a rod) are also carried out to break the cap which forms on the must surface.

The must is then racked (free-run juice), and the marc is pressed to recover the press juice which will be blended with the free-run juice. The Syrah must is then aged in demi-muid and the Grenache must in sawn-off cone tanks for 11 to 12 months.

The wines are then blended before bottling, filtered but not fined.