Domaine la Fourmone Gigondas Le Secret 2023

Domaine la Fourmone is a multi-generational domaine and is currently run by sister, Florentine and brother, Albin Combe. The property dates back to the mid-1700’s when it originally producing wheat. Wine began to be grown in the last 19th century and thent became the crop after Julien Combe purchased the property in 1910. The domaine cultivates 41 ha (104 acres) of vineyards of which, 20ha are in Vacqueyras, 10ha are in Gigondas and 7ha of Côtes-du-Rhône and IGP and 4ha of vines on the southern edge of the Dentelles hills that reside in the Ventoux appellation. Winemaking is traditional. Concrete vats are used for the fermentation and ageing of the reds. A very small percentage of the white Vacqueyras and the old vine cuvées red are aged in 600 litre demi-muids, so there is next to no oak flavour influence on the wines.The Vacqueyras wines are grown on the northern sector where sand predominates, thus producing slikly tannin wines with exuberant red fruit complexity, The old vine “Ceps d’Or” cuvée is often fermented with the stems and can age for up to ten to fifteen years in a good vintage. The sand also bring great freshness to the Vacqueyras white. The Gigondas terroir is located on the small section of the appellation that is south facing which brings riper, bigger fruit than is generally found in the other wines of the appellation. La Fourmone’s Gigondas soils are very high in limestone content which underpin a great mineral edge to their two cuvées.