Domaine Bernard Gripa : Le Berceau 2024

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for Le Berceau 2024 from Domaine Bernard Gripa

Food and Wine Pairings

This white wine pairs beautifully with pan-seared scallops, seafood risotto and hard cheeses. More broadly, it is a delightful match for premium fish in a light sauce, as well as poultry with mushrooms or cream.

A white Saint-Joseph from Domaine Bernard Gripa, born of Tournon granite

The Estate

The name Domaine Bernard Gripa first appeared on labels in 1974, when estate bottling became the norm in Mauves, in the heart of the Saint-Joseph appellation, in the northern Rhône Valley. Now run by Fabrice Gripa, owner and winemaker, the estate cultivates around 16 to 20 hectares of Syrah, Marsanne and Roussanne vines, spread across Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray. One of the few estates in the region to produce as much white wine as red, it is recognised by the Hachette and Gault&Millau guides as a benchmark of the northern Rhône.

The Vineyard

The Le Berceau blanc cuvée comes from a plot of very old Marsanne vines planted in 1920, on the rounded slopes of the Tournon hillside, in the Saint-Joseph lieu-dit, facing the Hermitage. The soil rests on Tournon granite, a Precambrian biotite rock, hard yet fissured, which forces the roots to draw water and minerals from deep below the surface. The vines, managed according to the principles of sustainable viticulture close to organic, are tended entirely by hand on these steep terraces.

Vinification and Ageing

For Le Berceau 2024, the grapes are gently pressed, then fermentation takes place half in tanks and half in barrels. Ageing, lasting around one year in barrels and demi-muids, takes place on fine lees, adding volume and aromatic complexity while preserving the freshness and minerality derived from the granite.

Grape Variety

Le Berceau blanc is made from Marsanne, sourced from old vines planted in 1920.