Domaine Gramenon

The seemingly reserved façade of Michèle Aubéry-Laurent melts away quickly when she speaks about her wines. As a former nurse (who often favored natural remedies), she has come to treat her vines with the same care, conviction, and passion as she had for her former patients. She and her husband, Philippe, bottled their first vintage of Domaine Gramenon in 1990, in the far northern-eastern stretches of the southern Rhône, in the town of Montbrison-sur-Lez. Philippe was a talented vigneron—both creative and edgy—and he loved to push the envelope of the regulations imposed by the I.N.A.O. In 1999, in an unexpected twist of fate, he was killed in a tragic accident. Michèle was suddenly left on her own with their three children, vineyards, and a winery to deal with. Crushed but undaunted, Michèle stepped to the forefront, boldly picking up where Philippe left off. Over the years, Michèle has discovered her own creative voice in her new vocation; in so doing she has catapulted Domaine Gramenon into cult wine status. Today, she works twenty-six hectares with her talented son, Maxime François (a rising star in his own right), farming both young and very old vines alike. They employ organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyards, with a strong non-interventionist stance in the cellars. Maxime François has begun flexing his own creative muscle, bottling four cuvées at the domaine under his own name.

Domaine Gramenon is the authentic embodiment of the philosophies that the Laurents espouse. They do not merely champion organic farming, but they incorporate the concept of sustainability into their daily lives by growing their own food and raising their own animals. The domaine bottles an AOC Vinsobres and a myriad of parcels of Côtes-du-Rhône located around the domaine. Though Michèle and Maxime continue to test the confines of the appellation, the cellars are unsurprisingly old-fashioned. The Laurents use gravity-fed tanks and age their wines in oak demi-muids and foudres. That they take such gutsy risks as bottling old-vine fruit with so little sulfur, without fining or filtration, only demonstrates the lengths they will go to in order to highlight the freshness, purity, and intoxicating aromas of their small, rare production.

Technical Information

Wine	Blend	Vine Age	Soil Type	Vineyard Area*
Vin de France “Tout’ En Bulles de Gramenon”	80% Clairette, 20% Viognier	30 years	Clay, Limestone	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc “Vie on y est”	Viognier	30 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé “Rosé Pompon”	60% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 10% Syrah	5 - 10 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Sierra du Sud”	Syrah	15 - 35 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône “Emouvante”	Syrah	40 years	Clay, Limestone	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Poignée de Raisins”	Grenache	4 - 30 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “L’Elémentaire”	Grenache	45 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Les Laurentides”	Grenache	50 years	Clay, Limestone	26 ha total
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “A Pascal S. ”	Grenache	60 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “La Sagesse ”	Grenache	50-70 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Ceps Centenaires La Mémé ”	Grenache	> 100 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Vinsobres Rouge "La Papesse"	Grenache	60 years	Clay, Limestone varied with gravel, galets roulés, and/or sand	26 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “La Belle Sortie”	75% Grenache, 25% Syrah	15-40 years	Clay, Limestone	2.5 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc “La Pantomine”**	50% Bourboulenc, 50% Grenache Blanc	30 years	Clay, Limestone, Sand	N/A
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Il Fait Soif” **	70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault	15 - 30 years	Clay, Limestone	4 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “La Rubiconde” **	Grenache	50 - 80 years	Clay, Limestone	4 ha
Côtes-du-Rhone Villages Visan “Orpiment” **	70% Grenache, 30% Syrah	60 years Grenache, 35 years Syrah	Clay, Limestone	1.3 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé “Il Fait Très Soif” **	1/3 Syrah, 1/3 Grenache, 1/3 Cinsault	25 years	Clay, Limestone	4 ha
Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Rousset-les-Vignes Rouge “Champsaurel”**	75% Grenache, 25% Syrah	50-70 years	Clay, Limestone, Sand	N/A
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

**Denotes a wine made under the label "Maxime François Laurent"

• All grapes have been farmed biodynamically since 2007; the Laurents have been certified organic since 2010

• Yields are limited in the vineyards

• Vines are pruned in Gobelet and Cordon de Royat

• All fermentations are natural, using only indigenous yeasts

• All reds are bottled unfined and unfiltered, and with no additional sulfur during fermentation

GRAMENON

Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc “Vie on y est” :

• Both alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation are in barrique

• Wine ages for 6 months in barrel before bottling

Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé “Rosé Pompon” :

• Juice achieved by direct pressing

• Wine ages for 6 months in tank before bottling

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Sierra du Sud” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 12 days in cement tank

• Wine ages in both tank and in barrique for 7 months before bottling

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Poignée de Raisins” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 15 days in cement tank

• Wine ages for 6 months in tank before bottling

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “L’Elémentaire” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 15 days in cement tank

• Wine ages in both tank and in barrique for 8 months before bottling

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Les Laurentides” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 15 days in cement tank

• Wine ages for 12 months in barrique

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “A Pascal S.” :

• Whole-cluster fermentation for 18 days in wood tank

• Wine ages for 12 months in barrique

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “La Sagesse” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 15 days in cement tank

• Wine ages for 12 months in barrique

Vinsobres Rouge “La Papesse” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 15 days in wood tank

• Wine ages for 12 months in barrique

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Ceps Centenaires La Mémé”:
• Whole cluster fermentation for 18 days in wood tank
• Wine ages for 12 months in barrique

Vin de France “Tout’ En Bulles de Gramenon”:
• Wine is not disgorged nor aged sur latte
• Wine is bottled during fermentation and finishes fermentation in bottle
• Enclosed with a cork and crown cap
• 8 grams residual sugar

Côtes-du-Rhône “Emouvante”:
• Whole-cluster fermentation lasts 2-3 weeks
• No pump-overs
• Ages 6-9 months in demi-muids

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge“La Belle Sortie”:
• Grapes macerate for 15 days in cement tank
• Wine ages in cement tank for 6 months before bottling
• Grapes are situated on the plateau of Taulignan, at 300m altitude

MAXIME FRANÇOIS LAURENT

Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc “La Pantomine” :

• Fermentation in stainless steel tank
• One light pump-over per day
• Aged in stainless steel tank for 6 months
• No malolactic fermentation

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “Il Fait Soif” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed
• Syrah ferments with carbonic maceration
• Partial whole cluster fermentation in cement tank for 10 days
• Wine ages for 6 months in stainless steel tank

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge “La Rubiconde” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 15 days

• Wine ages for 8 months in barrique

Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Visan “Orpiment” :

• Grapes are partially de-stemmed

• Grapes macerate for 15 days

• Wine ages for 8 months in barrique and demi-muid

Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Rousset-les-Vignes Rouge “Champsaurel” :

• Grapes macerate for 20 days in cement tank
• One light pump-over per day
• Wine ages in older barrel for 6 months before bottling