Domaine Pouderoux - Visca - Rancio Sec 2016
Domaine Pouderoux has been established for over a century in the heart of the village of Maury, on the black schists and rolled pebbles of the Agly valley, one of the most unique terroirs of Roussillon. This family estate, now passed on to the new generation led by Louise Tanguy and Léo Hemmer, continues the legacy of Robert and Cathy Pouderoux while positioning the vineyard within a modern dynamic. The estate is now certified organic and managed according to biodynamic principles, with mechanical soil work, organic amendments, and a strict limitation of synthetic inputs. Here, each plot is considered as an island in its own right, where the diversity of exposures and altitudes nurtures expressions of grenache and white grape varieties with great personality. In this setting of arid hills swept by the tramontane wind, the tradition of Maury's natural sweet wines coexists with an increasingly sought-after range of dry wines. It is in this refined universe that Visca, a dry rancio IGP Côtes Catalanes, is situated, a true manifesto of local expertise around oxidative aging.
Domaine Pouderoux Visca Rancio Sec 2016 is a white IGP Côtes Catalanes made from vines planted on black schists and rolled pebbles, farmed organically and biodynamically, naturally producing concentrated and saline juices. The grapes are harvested at high maturity, around 15.5 potential degrees, with a demanding sorting directly in the vineyard and exclusively manual harvesting. In the cellar, vinification is carried out with indigenous yeasts and direct pressing, in a low-intervention approach aimed at respecting the profile of the vintage and terroir. The particularity of Visca lies in its oxidative aging in 225-liter barrels that are not topped up, a historic Roussillon technique that consists of letting the wine evolve in contact with air to develop the famous rancio character. This long stay in an oxidative environment sculpts the texture, darkens the color, and enriches the aromatic palette with notes of dried fruits, candied citrus, and fine wood. Bottled as a dry rancio, Visca stands at the crossroads of gastronomic white wine and meditation wine, with a deeply Catalan identity.
On tasting, Domaine Pouderoux Visca Rancio Sec 2016 shows an intense golden robe with brown reflections, dense and luminous. The nose is powerful, immediately marked by oxidative notes of candied citrus, bitter orange, light cocoa, and old wood, on an iodized background that evokes the salinity of the schist terroirs. On the palate, the taste of rancio is found in all its complexity, with aromas of walnut, roasted hazelnut, candied bitter orange, and dried fruits, supported by a perfectly integrated woody roundness. The texture is ample, caressing, but energized by iodized and saline notes that stretch the wine and give it an almost marine relief, with a very long aromatic persistence. Served slightly chilled, it is a true food pairing wine, ideal with aged hard cheeses, an old mimolette, a well-aged comté, but also with poultry with morels and cream or mushroom dishes. In cooking, it excels at confiting onions and meats, enhancing a jus, or accompanying a walnut and citrus dessert in a decidedly gastronomic register.
