Last Saturday we were welcomed to
Domaine la Cabotte, in the heart of the Massif
d'Uchaux region of the Rhône Valley. Marie-Pierre and Eric Plumet
d'Ardhuy initiated us in working in the vineyard and introduced us
to the biodynamic farming principles used on the estate. We had a
very instructive day with some very warm sunshine!
As our guests noted, Domaine la Cabotte is to be found in the
middle of the vines, surrounded by wooded hills, vineyards and
the Mont Ventoux in the distance. What better place to discover
the profession of wine making. The aim of the Discovery Experience Day is to understand the
work carried out in the vineyard from winter right up to the
harvest the following autumn, and so we began the day in the
vineyard.
Eric recounted the history of the winery and the establishment of
the Massif d'Uchaux wine appellation. He then brought us up to
speed on the work that Marie-Pierre and he had already done since
last winter, covering such topics as pruning and the flowering of
the vines. He then showed us how to raise the training wires to
better space and support the weight of the vines as they grow.
The training wires had just been raised, but had not yet been
attached. Armed with handfuls of clips, we clipped the wires
together to keep the vine branches in place between the wires. It
can get very hot in the middle of the vineyard, particularly in
the Rhône Valley, and luckily Marie-Pierre had brought some
home-made drinks to share with us! After this full morning, we
were glad to find some shade back at the winery to taste some of
the estate's wines and enjoy the meal prepared by Marie-Pierre.
We spent the afternoon in the cool of the chai, where Eric talked
to us about the different herbal treatments made of horsetail,
valerian, stinging nettles and the like, that serve to help
stimulate the growth of the plant. He also showed us how the soil
is vitalised using a preparation of cow manure that has been
buried in cow horns according to the biodynamic principles.
Eric finished the day by briefly explaining the key steps in
fermenting the wine, something that we will go into more detail
about during the Vinification Experience Days.
In their July 2014 issue, Decanter rated the best Côtes du Rhône
Villages wines from the 2011 and 2012 vintages. Gourmet Odyssey's
partner from the Rhône Valley,
Domaine la Cabotte was rated among the very best
producers with two of the three taster's including Domaine la
Cabotte's "Gabriel" Massif d'Uchaux 2012 wine in their top three
wines of the 100 wines tasted.
The 2012 vintage of Gabriel was one of just three wines to be
"highly recommended", and the wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey
Wine Experience, Garance, was also included in the "recommended"
category for the 2012 vintage.
Decanter noted that when choosing Côtes du Rhône Villages wines,
it pays to know which appellations to look out for, and they
concentrated their article on the most notable villages and the
ones that are on the rise. The Massif d'Uchaux is one of the
newer Côtes du Rhône Villages appellations, and according to
Decanter is deserving to be much better known for the quality of
their wines. We certainly agree, and with Domaine la Cabotte
leading the way, it's surely just a matter of time.
See more accolades for our partners
What's the ideal father's day gift to choose for a wine lover? This
year, give more than a simple wine tasting gift, and adopt some
vines for your Dad in France. It makes for a unique wine experience
gift.
If your Dad is interested in wine but has never had the
opportunity to get involved in making wine with a winemaker, the
Gourmet Oydssey Wine Experience will enable him to learn first-hand
about all of the work in the vineyard and cellar. He'll be the
adoptive owner of his vines for a winemaking year and, thanks to
the newsletters and photos, he'll follow all of the steps in
making his personalised wine.
He can also get stuck in and learn by participating in working at
the winery for one of the Discovery, Harvest or Vinification Experience Days. He'll visit one
of our seven partner vineyards and spend the day with the
winemaker.
All of our partner wineries are organically certified, and are
chosen for the quality of their wine, and the enthusiasm of the
winemakers in sharing their passion for their profession. It's an
unforgettable experience that will enable
your father to open his bottles of wine in good company and
explain how they were made.
Our welcome gift packs contain a sommelier's apron, a DropStop,
adoption certificate and a brochure that explains the experience.
They are delivered within 2 to 5 days depending on the delivery
country, and for any last minute gifts, we'll send a copy of the
certificate by email ahead of the welcome pack.
And the little added bonus, is that the Experience Days are valid for two people to
share the fun!