PLOTS
La Bertaude, Bois-Lauzon, Cabrières d’Orange, Cabrières de Châteauneuf-duPape,
Bois-Dauphin, Le Pied Long, Les Bousquets, Les Terres Blanches, Les
Marines, Les Galimardes.
TERROIR
The unique character of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine St Patrice comes from
the diversity of its terroirs. The clay and sand-rich soils with dominant pure
white clay and red clay covered with worn pebbles and limestone rocks and
traces of yellow clay constitute the solid foundations on which our wines
blossom.
WINE GROWING
Come November, the winter ploughing begins, the first chore after the
harvest : soils need breathing and the vine strains need protecting from the
cold. The pruning of the branches is completed as late as possible, as the
ascending sap is to be waited for in order to prevent any plant-health risk. As
such, budburst is postponed. During the spring, in early May, the second labour
occurs, with a view to aerate the feet of the stump and the rootstock, warm up
the later and stimulate the entire vine. This will be followed by some hoeing
when needed in order to level the soils and preventing dryness from affecting
the stump. At that point, the grapes will enter their growing phase. In order to
obtain an optimum ripeness, we trim the leaves within 20 cm of the bunches.
Even when the technological maturity is achieved, the slower phenological
maturity is still pending and will come later… Harvest will start mid-September
with Syrah and finish mid-October with Mourvèdre.
BLEND
Grenache -Mourvèdre — Syrah
VINIFICATION & AGEING
Whole crops apply for up to 30 to 60 % depending on the grape varieties. Prefermentation
maceration and alcoholic fermentation are done in concrete
tanks exclusively. Light pumping-over and infusion of grape residues for close
to five weeks.
Ageing in concrete vats, large oak barrels (foudre), half-muids and Frenchoak
barrels for 14 months. Wines are bottled during the spring and stored in
the cellars for a full year before sale.