Fond Croze Cairanne

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fond crozeFond croze cairanne – organic

Cairanne is a village in the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation, one that due to its high wine quality, is allowed to put the name of the village on the label (like Gigondas, Lirac, Vacqueyras, etc.).

Domaine Fond Croze is located on the outskirts of the town of Cairanne, and this family-run business converted to organic viticulture in the nineties.  

Founding patriarch Charles Long first purchased land outside Saint Roman de Malegarde after returning from World War I. His son, Raymond, expanded the vineyards once he started full-time in the business and today, Raymond’s sons Bruno (the winemaker) and Daniel (the vineyard manager) are the 3rd generation.  Daniel’s son Guillaume continues the tradition, armed with a degree in enology and viticulture, and some impressive stints at wineries in the US.   

The Longs produce a wide range of honest and unpretentious wines from their 200 acres of typical Rhône-ish varietals, distributed among six appellations:  Cairanne, Rasteau,  Côtes du Rhône Villages Vaison la Romaine, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Côtes du Rhône and I.G.P. Méditerranée, planted to nine different grapes, red and white.

60% Grenache Noir, 20% Carignan, and 20% Mourvèdre from old vines planted on clay-limestone soils on their five-acre estate hillside vineyard in Cairanne. 

This wine has a deep garnet color with purplish hues. The first nose is complex and after slight aeration it releases aromas of stewed small black fruits and candied cherry. On the palate, we detect a nice acidity with well-present and structured tannins. This wine offers aromas of black fruits as well as toasted notes on the finish. Complex and well balanced, the finish is long.

90-93 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate:  Half Grenache, with the balance split equally between Carignan and Mourvèdre, the 2019 Cairanne is dark and impenetrable in the glass, giving up just brooding aromas of blackberries and dark-skinned plums. It’s full-bodied and tannic at this stage, but the tannins are ripe, adding plush layers of textural interest and lingering gently on the finish.

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