Domaine de Pergaud - Brézème Vieille Serine - Eric Texier 2014
In the early 1990s, Éric Texier discovered a little-known wine region in the northern Rhône: Brézème.
Brézême is a tiny 22 ha vineyard in production in the northern Côtes du Rhône area, between the northern and southern areas in fact, at Livron sur Drôme (15km south of Valence). This vineyard had a great notoriety in the 18th and 19th century before the arrival of phylloxera and which presents similarities with the terroir of Hermitage located 30 km further north. After the devastation of the borer louse, wine-growing properties turned to fruit cultivation, which continues to this day.
While exploring the region, he notices a plots of old vines on the hillside located towards the east, close to those preserved and operated by Mr. François Pouchoulin The old vines of Brézème, over 60 years old, have always been cultivated with respect of the oldest traditions.
The Brézème VV Domaine de Pergaud comes from 0.6 ha of this plot.
Brézème is a pure Syrah from a cold climate, which gives a very wild wine with a strong personality, presenting notes of blackcurrant leaves and very intense black olives. Far from the very ripe southern Syrah, the wine rather evokes the Burgundian balance. The Vieilles Vignes Domaine de Pergault cuvée generally expresses its full potential after 5 years of aging and evolves towards mineral notes reminiscent of the great northern Syrah.
Vinification and aging;
Manual sorting on the table, destemming, punching down. Pre-fermentation maceration under dry ice. No yeast. No use of SO² before setting. Aging in barrels and demi-muids of 1 to 3 wines on fine lees for 18 to 24 months. Bottling without fining or filtration.
The Vines ;
The Brézème Vieilles Vignes Domaine de Pergault vineyard plot is planted 100% Syrah over 60 years old. It is one of the oldest vineyard plots in the vineyard, at the top of a terraced slope, above the rest of the vineyard.
The Terroir ;
It is the most southerly of the northern sites, at the confluence of the Drome and the Rhône, but is bathed in the cold air from the Vercors which descends every evening along the Drôme. Its topographical and geological characteristics are close to those of certain parcels of Hermitage such as Maison Blanche, located 36 km to the north. The vineyard is facing south. The slope is accentuated towards the top where one finds old terraces today not exploited. The soil is composed of limestone marl, richer in clay at the foot of the slope. The vineyard is swept over 100 days a year by the Mistral. Due to its particular meso climate, the harvest is later than in Hermitage, from the end of September to the beginning of October.
History ;
The first vines on the Brézème hillside date from the Roman occupation of Gaul. The first text relating to the vineyard in Livron dates from 1422. It is about "a discharge of a pension paid to the bishop of Valence for taxes on the wine, the weights of the mill and the killing (slaughterhouses) "(Chauvel, 1988).
It was in 1810, it seems, that the vineyard reached its peak. The Count of Sinard then wrote in his book cited in reference: "" The best vineyard in this canton is called Brézème. His exhibition is most happy. It is at the foot and under the slope of a mountain which guarantees it from the north winds. The land forms a curved line with the center to the south and, the ends tilting to the east and west, it is thus heated by the sun all day long. The result of this exposure is greater heat than one would imagine at the 44th degree (of latitude) where it is located. The wines of Brézème rivaled those of the Hermitage and sold for almost the same price. The phylloxera and the wars led to a gradual decline until 1961, when less than one hectare remained under plantation. Despite this in 1943, the region was recognized by an appellation decree on barely 10 hectares in AOC Côtes du Rhône Brézème, a few producers continuing to believe in this vineyard. Among them, Mr. Pouchoulin, who today holds Syrahs from 60 to 100 years old. Thanks to him and his father, the vineyard has not disappeared and in 1984, the area of AOC Côtes du Rhône Brézème was extended to 22 hectares. With time and replanting, there are now 22 hectares in production.
