A Provençal wine takes the chenin from the Loire

A

An illusion supported by the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, the Ché cuvée launched by the Les Chancel estate (Vaucluse) is above all a reference to the chenin which is an integral part of this new cuvée. “Three years ago we decided to graft 1 ha of Syrah with Chenin which was in the coolest terroir of the estate”explains owner Pierre Chancel.

On his estate located in Mormoiron, at the foot of Mont Ventoux, Pierre Chancel defines a sector of the property that he calls ‘the valley of the whites’ at the end of which there was this plot of Syrah planted 12 years ago. . However, the sector is only 350m above sea level.

three steps

“We like to be whites, who will now account for two thirds of the company’s production”, continues Pierre Chancel. For him his Provençal position is no obstacle to the production of fresh, taut whites “since our terroir lends itself to it, we therefore give a very Loire orientation to one of these whites with this 100% chenin cuvée”. After 6 months of aging in demi-muids, the Les Chancel estate then launches 3,000 bottles of the 2021 vintage of this Provençal cuvée with accents from the Loire Valley, labeled IGP Vaucluse.

“We harvested in three passes between the first and third week of September 2021. These 3 batches were vinified and aged separately in order to obtain the desired freshness and substance. Only the first 2 lots have been kept for this first version of Che “adds the owner of Les Chancel. This organic cuvée is intended for direct sale and to the wine merchant and restaurant circuit.

However, for Pierre Chancel it is not a question of denying the effects of climate change, but rather of wanting to highlight “The possibility of producing profiles that retain tension and freshness when the soil lends itself to it”, he observes. It is therefore not a question of a walk on the flowerbeds of the Loire, but rather a wink of a fervent admirer of Provence.