SAQ Vacqueyras Séduction 2019, Domaine les Semelles de Vent

Seductive Rhône...

In the southern Rhône, the wine spotlight is often on Avignon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but it is frequently in the shadows that one finds the hidden gems, as is the case with the Vacqueyras appellation. The project is that of Christophe Galon, who returned to the family estate in the 90s with his Taiwanese wife, YuYen. They made the decision to move away from the cooperative sales system and to vinify their own harvests.

Some time before the pandemic, we came across their glasses and their wines in the dining room at Les Cavistes, where the charm of both the people and the wines took effect naturally. We have been following them ever since, through arrivals at Symbiose and now at the SAQ.

All of the cuvées are distinctive for their precision. As for this one, fermentation takes place in concrete vats, and a 12-month aging period in neutral 500-600L barrels completes the process. The Séduction cuvée is crafted from vines in sandy plots, which offer a digestible and elegant wine in the glass. 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah.

• To accompany it: Classic chicken liver salad with lardons and raspberry vinaigrette on a sunny Sunday,
• An anecdote: "Les Semelles de Vent" (Soles of Wind) for Rimbaud, the poet with the wind-swept soles,
• To better understand the birth of the appellation: The Rhône next season at Cavistes,
• To compare: From the same estate, on the Cavistes boutique, a blend (complemented with Carignan) from the same house as a Vaucluse offering.

Follow this link for the SAQ: https://www.saq.com/14730881