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Southern Rhône
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Languedoc
Club member
Domaine des Bernardins
Like many of this region’s villages, Beaumes-de-Venise has been producing wine since the Roman times but is unique for the production of sweet fortified wine or ‘vin doux naturel’. Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) wrote: “Muscat has been grown for a long time in Balme and makes wonderful wine.”
Since then the story of Muscat de Beaumes continued to be told: the home of Muscat was supplier to Pope Clement V in Avignon and then the entire kingdom’s nobility, including Henry IV who had a taste for Muscat.
Domaine des Bernardins is a family estate for five generations
since the 19th Century.
The property was previously owned by the Bernardin monks before Louis Castaud, the founder of AOC Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise turned it into a wine estate. He was the first one to show real concern about how the village’s traditional production had almost disappeared and achieved appellation status for Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise in 1945. Today his granddaughter Elisabeth, her husband Andrew Hall and their son Romain continue the family history combining know-how and traditional values.
The wines
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see product details90 points by Matt Wallsle Decanter 2020
92/100 by Olivier Poussier Best Sommelier of the World 2020
Chilled as an aperitif, the Muscat is a versatile companion to many dishes. Most expressive with foie gras and roquefort cheese, it retains all its character served with a fruit salad or a darck chocolate cake.
The Muscat de Beaumes de Venise requires great care. After picking the grapes by hand, the must is pressed straightaway to ferment the juice without skins. No yeasts are added to the alcoholic fermentation, and kept under temperature control. Vin Doux Naturel winemaking involves stopping fermentation to preserve the grapes natural sweetness. During vinification, we watch the vats day and night and add the fortifying spirit just at the right moment. At this stage, the wine’s final balance is at stake. The wine is then aged in stainless steel tanks for 6 months before bottling.
Download the technical sheetVarietals
White Muscat 75%, Black Muscat 25%
Soils
Tender limestone and gritty zones of
sandy mollasse.
Robe
Bright amber
Nose
Complex and intense. With aromas of apricot, bush peach and dried fruit.
Palate
Fruity, well balanced, neat and sweet with a dry finish
Serve
Chilled T°8°C
Potential aging
This Muscat ages beautifully and becomes mellow, well rounded, with a copper pink robe. Its bouquet is refined with hints of Mint tea and perfect balance in the mouth.
Yields
30 hl/ha – 18 ha
Alcohol
15°
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see product details95/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
Wine Enthusiast 92/100
92 points by Matt Wallsle Decanter 2019
Chilled as an aperitif, the Muscat is a versatile companion to many dishes. Most expressive with foie gras and roquefort cheese, it retains all its character served with a fruit salad or a dark chocolate cake.
After picking the muscat grapes by hand, the must is pressed straightaway to ferment the juice without skins. No yeasts are added to the alcoholic fermentation, and kept under temperature control. Sweet fortified Vin Doux Naturel winemaking involves stopping the fermentation to preserve the grapes’ natural sweetness.
During vinification, we watch the vats day and night and add the fortifying spirit just at the right moment. This cuvée is in Hommage to our great grand father Louis Castaud with traditional vinification and long aging as in the 1930's.
Download the technical sheetVarietals
White Muscat 75%, Black Muscat 25%
Soils
Tender limestone and gritty zones of
sandy mollasse.
Robe
Golden hue with light orange reflections
Nose
Endearing nose of grape, orange peel, and an accent of honey
Palate
Mild at point of entry, splendid aromatic intensity, sultanas, candied orange, rose petal and refined spice.
Serve
Chilled T°12°C
Potential aging
Ready to drink immediately, it will also keep almost indefinitely!!
Yields
30 hl/ha – 18 ha
Alcohol
15°
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see product details15,5/20 by Olivier Poussier - Best sommelier of the world
This elegant red wines is excellent with red meats, game meat or truffles.
This is a terroir driven wine no destemming and aging 10-12 months in stainless steel vats.
We don’t follow any winemaking recipe but are constantly searching for the perfect expression of terroir and each vintage’s particular characteristics.
We don’t go for overripe grapes and over-extraction, as we think the wine has to stay refreshing and balanced. Leaving the wine for 15 days in concrete vats, we try to gently extract the tannins and anthocyanins essential for the wine’s structure and colour. The wine doesn’t come into any contact with wood during aging. This way the characteristics of our terroir can fully express themselves.
Download the technical sheetVarietals
Grenache 60%, Syrah 25%, Marsanne 6%, Mourvèdre 5%, Grenache blanc 4%
Soils
Tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.
Robe
Bright ruby color with cherry tinges.
Nose
Complex, delicately spicy with red and black fruit aromas.
Palate
Fruity with a rounded palate with a subtle tannin structure and good length.
Serve
T°16-17°C
Potential aging
Pleasant wine to drink young but good aging potential of 10 years, offering different taste sensations throughout its long life.
Yields
38 hl/ha – 3 ha
Alcohol
14°
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Pays du Vaucluse
Dry Muscat "Doré des Bernardins" 2022
see product details92/100 by Olivier Poussier Best Sommelier of the World 2020
"An absolutely stunning dry Muscat. A hundred percent dry Muscat, elegant, fresh, medium-bodied flavors that are authoritative yet extremely pure and intriguing.”
Delightfully lively and fresh, it goes especially well with asparagus and shell-fish.
Doré des Bernardins is a dry white wine that we only produce in years when the Muscat à petit grains crop is large enough. We pick the grapes at the same ripeness level as for the Vin Doux Naturel.
In contrast to Muscat de Beaumes, the fermentation isn’t stopped, giving a fruity dry wine with intense Muscat aromas.
Download the technical sheetVarietal
Muscat of petit grains 100%
Soils
Tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.
Robe
Light yellow with green reflections
Nose
Delicately fruity with fresh Muscat aromas
Palate
Fruity dry wine with intense Muscat flavors
Serve
Chilled T°8°C
Potential aging
Best drunk within 2 years
Yields
Only 10 hl/ha (produced only on the great years)
Alcohol
13,5°
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Côtes-du-Rhône
Côtes-du-Rhône "Les Balmes" Red 2021
see product detailsIt is a very easy drinking wine, with velvety fruity aromas. A supple wine ideal for drinking throughout a meal.
This terroir driven wine is dominated by the classic southern Rhône grape Grenache with a touch of Syrah. We don’t follow any winemaking recipe but are constantly searching for the perfect expression of terroir with each vintage’s particular characteristics. We don’t go for overripe grapes and over-extraction, as we think the wine has to stay refreshing and balanced. Leaving the wine for 15 days in concrete vats, we try to gently extract the tannins and anthocyanins essential for the wine’s structure and colour. The wine doesn’t come into any contact with wood during aging.
This way the characteristics of our terroir can fully express themselves.
Download the technical sheetVarietals
Grenache 90%, Syrah 10%
Soils
Tender limestone and gritty zones of
sandy mollasse.
Robe
Bright ruby color with cherry tinges.
Nose
Complex, delicately spicy with red and black fruit aromas.
Palate
Very rich in cherry flavors, a rounded palate with good length
Serve
T°17-18°C
Potential aging
Best drunk within 6 years
Yields
45hl/ha - 2 hectares produced
Alcohol
13,5°
