Domaine de Peigros (Pierrefeu)

Pierrefeu We visited Domaine de Peigros after Mireille Mann called the owner from the Tasting House in Pierrefeu . I first discovered this Domaine while tasting a bottle at this very Maison des Vins de Pierrefeu a year ago . At that time I took a case of their 1999 red . The Domaine is a short distance north of the village of Pierrefeu (map) . Jean charles Dartus receives us in front of the Domaine's house , in the shadow of plane trees that hide the house from the sun . The Domaine's vineyards are all around us . We sit and he begins to explain about the wine . J.C. Dartus came from the north of France to make wine here . He was previously in the wine field . He settled in Pierrefeu in 1987 . First wine came out in 1988 . The Domaine has about 10 hectares of vineyards . Grape varieties are vinified separately here . Blending can be symbolic in the region, with just a few liters of a grape variety added to a vat of another one . No chemical fertilizers . Hand harvest . Pruning . Harvest on intact grapes . The vineyard is all around the house , very close (and 10 hectares is not big surface) and there are no transportation delays & losses. No spoiled grapes as it happens when vineyard plots are scattered a few kilometers away . Soil around here is clay, with also schists and volcanic stones .

Jean Charles Dartus brings the first bottle :

__1__ Domaine de Peigros white 2003 . Semillon & Ugni Blanc 50% each (planted). 8 years old vines . The Appellation rules don't specify the minimum % in the blending of the wines . Skin maceration . No malolactic fermentation . Colour : Some light green . Aromatic . Nature is there . Price 6 Euro .

Jean Charles Dartus__2__ Domaine de Peigros rose "Elegance" 2003 . [ See picture lower right ] . Grenache . Maceration wine . No malolactic fermentation . Powerful . Each year this cuvee has this particularity . This has nothing to do with the exceptional 2003 weather conditions . Wine asking for a meal . The grapes went directly to the press . Selected yeasts added , and pressing . The must then went to debourbage vat . After a few hours , it separated between clear juice and sediments . Then it is possible to see the colour . Needs 8-10 hours for debourbage , usually . After that, fermentation is in thermoregulated vats, at about 19° C . The selection of the yeasts is important . The problem with using only indigenous yeast is that they can stop too early, especially with the high sugar level in the grapes .
__3__Domaine de Peigros red "Lou Gros Pei" 2002 .Grapes were wet this year , but that brought no rot, though . In 2002, all was bottled as ordinary wine : You will not find the Peigros cuvees in 2002 . This, because the quality associated with these cuvees would not have been met .
__4__ Domaine de Peigros red "Cuvee Prestige" 2001 . Can be cooled in summer . In the glass, aromas come fast . No wood . Best for the fruit . Grenache . At Peigros, no destemming . Brings some air in the cap, and better trickling . Other Domaines around don't work this way, because they are afraid , after the chemicals they sprayed, to endanger their wine if they keep the stem . Here the stem is healthy . Plowing is important to ventilate the ground and force the vines to root deeper . Here it is called "decavaillonnage" (earthing down) . These small details wich need a lot of work bring quality at the end . Another detail : No soda used to dissolve the tartar in the vats here . Only high pressure water, and scrubbing .
__5__ Domaine de Peigros red "Brut de la Barrique" 2001 . 13° . The vines must have suffered from "water stress" (no rain for 3 months) to have this cuvee . The water stress brings more Polyphenol . No fining , no filtration . Syrah-Carignan . 6 Euro . This cuvee was made in 2000 & 2001 only . Nice nose . In tense . 4 or 5 years old casks .At Peigros, only one type of yeast strain per wine colour . Then some yeasts are taken out (when over 1050 level) for inoculation in other vats . Old Carignan vines in this wine . Maximum plantation percentage allowed is 35 % . As said , grape varieties always separately vinified . Very modest SO2 : 15-20mg/L , when 200mg/L allowed . In Peigros , 5 red varieties : Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan and Syrah .
__6__ Domaine de Peigros red 2001 .The one I bought with 1999 year [ See picture on left . It is sold out now ]. Carignan , Syrah, Mourvedre . 7 Euro . 4 months in casks . Red fruits . Truffles , basil, says B.
__7__ Domaine de Peigros red "Cuvee Debut de Siecle" 2001 . Only Syrah . To drink in 15 years . Syrah grapes picked at 13,5° . This wine is not made each year . New casks . 4 Months . 1st "Debut de Siecle" done in 1989 . Second in 1999 . Nice wine .
__8__ No name . Mourvedre 2000 . Experimental . Normally not for sale . Very nice nose . 4 months in casks also . Superb. Great . This wine is the result of chance . When grapes were picked, they were at 13,5° . In fact they reached 15,2° . Grapes were perfectly healthy .
Thanks to hand harvest, only matured grapes are picked . Speaking of harvest, our host notes that due to increasingly hot summers, harvest tend to begin sooner : In 1994 harvest began september 24 . In 2000 it was august 20 .

Domaine de Peigros
Route de Puget Ville 83390 Cuers
Phone +33 (0)4 94 48 12 61
Fax +33(0)4 94 48 15 54
Peigros' website

Comments

[vera macdonald]

I have to do a wine tasting on JP Chenet Caberent and I was wondering if how this particular wine in made

thanks

[charles]

Je me souviendrais toujours de ses vins excellent surtout de se vin que j'ai gouté un vin blanc surcrèe que jean charles ma fait gouter. J'ai trop envie d'y retournèe dans le domaine de piegros avec ses vigne a perte de vue de ses gens acceuillent et de cette embillance. Peut etre qu'un jour je reviendrais passer des vacances d'exeption dans se paysage inoubliable. Merci a toi Jean-Charles Dartus pour cette expèrience et de ces bons moment! bonne continuation dans ton exploitation et bonne soirèe

Charles le vendangeur

[nieus]

salut perrier sans jouet je pense que tu ma reconnu me contacter me ferai plaisir