Roc d'Anglade 2023

Characteristics and tasting notes for Roc d'Anglade 2023

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a translucent, luminous ruby hue, enhanced by purple highlights.

Nose

The nose offers a rich aromatic expression of great depth. The dominant notes showcase fully ripe red fruits, including strawberry, wild cherry and morello cherry. These primary aromas are extended by more refined nuances of blackcurrant, blackberry and undergrowth, combined with delicate spices such as cinnamon and black pepper. Floral notes of violet enrich the whole. Upon aeration, a subtle hint of liquorice gradually reveals itself. The wine unfolds its full olfactory richness after a few years of ageing.

Palate

The attack on the palate is distinguished by a particularly velvety texture, the hallmark of the estate's wines. The body displays a beautiful harmony, combining concentration and lightness. Ripe red and black fruits form the main gustatory framework, punctuated by candied nuances. The balance between acidity, alcohol and tannins is remarkably refined. The tannins are of exceptional delicacy, without any roughness. The finish offers a satisfying aromatic persistence, leaving an impression of elegance and subtlety, far from any pursuit of ostentatious power.

Food and wine pairings

Roc d'Anglade 2021 pairs admirably with red meats prepared in classic style: Milanese veal chop, beef Wellington, rib of beef and game. Dishes in sauce, and particularly those incorporating fruit reductions or meat jus, find in this wine an ideal accompaniment. Milk-fed lamb roasted with thyme makes a particularly successful pairing. Lamb tagine with black olives or fresh prunes represents an exceptional gastronomic match. Braised duck with figs or simply roasted also pairs with finesse. Medium-intensity matured cheeses, such as Comté or Gruyère, pleasantly bring out the qualities of this wine.

A vibrant Languedoc wine of beautiful richness

The estate

The Roc d'Anglade estate was founded in 1999 by Rémy Pédréno, a former IT engineer who turned to winemaking after training alongside renowned vignerons, notably at Domaine Rostaing in Côte-Rôtie. Located in Langlade in the Gard, not far from Nîmes, the estate covers around 10 hectares of vines ranging in age from 5 to 60 years. Rémy Pédréno has been running the property alongside his wife Martine for over two decades. The estate has been certified organic by Ecocert since 2011. Counted among the most esteemed vignerons of the Gard and the Languedoc, Rémy Pédréno deliberately chose to forgo official appellations in order to enjoy complete freedom in the choice of his grape varieties and cultivation methods. The estate enjoys outstanding critical recognition, with two stars in the Revue des Vins de France and three stars in the Bettane and Desseauve guide.

The vineyard

The Roc d'Anglade vineyard occupies a unique geographical location in Langlade, in the Gard department. Its essential particularity lies in its predominantly north-facing exposure, contrary to most Languedoc vineyards. This orientation gives the vines a remarkable freshness, evident in the structure of the wines: it promotes a slow and controlled ripening, without excess, while preserving a precious natural acidity. The terroir consists of clay-siliceous soils resting on calcareous marl, whose composition — one-third clay, one-third silica and one-third silt — closely resembles that of the great Burgundian vineyards. Large limestone pebbles cover the surface and play an essential thermal role by gradually releasing the heat they have stored. The average age of the vines is between 25 and 30 years, with some plots reaching 60 years. The vineyard is worked entirely by hand, with natural grass cover between the plots. Yields are deliberately kept at a very low level, around 20 hectolitres per hectare for the reds. The harvest, carried out exclusively by hand, ensures rigorous grape selection. This wine is produced under the IGP Pays du Gard designation.

Winemaking and ageing

The Roc d'Anglade grapes undergo an 18-day maceration as whole bunches, with the stems remaining in contact with the must throughout this phase. This approach contributes directly to the tannic finesse that characterises the estate's wines. Maceration takes place in open vats, without forced extraction, through spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts. The vatting lasts around 15 days. Following primary fermentation, the wine is aged in 125- to 150-litre demi-muids for 16 to 18 months. This extended ageing in older containers preserves freshness and promotes a harmonious integration of the tannic structure, without imparting a pronounced woody character. Bottling is carried out without fining and with very light filtration, in order to preserve the wine's evolution potential.

Grape varieties

Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah.