'Les Terrasses' Rouge 2024 Domaine Boucabeille Organic Wine

Nutritional information per 100 ml

Contains negligible amounts of fat, saturates, protein and salt.

Grenache

Grenache is widespread and now one of the world's most important red grape varieties. It probably originated in Aragón in northern Spain. Its spread would then have been due to the Crown of Aragon, a historical state that existed from 1137 to the end of the Middle Ages and gradually extended across much of the Mediterranean. Its broad distribution has given it numerous synonyms. In Spain it is known as Grenache and Garnacha, in Catalonia as Granatxa and in Sardinia as Cannonau. France now leads Grenache cultivation with around 97,000 hectares, followed by Spain with 86,000 hectares. The variety is also significantly represented in Australia, Argentina, California, Israel, Greece, Chile and South Africa. Grenache produces mainly red wines, and less frequently white and rosé wines. The wines are usually rich in alcohol. Made on its own, the grape can achieve a natural alcohol content of up to 16 per cent by volume. Low in tannins and colour, the wine is initially pale, soon turning brick red through rapid oxidation. Despite their high alcohol, single-variety Grenache wines are soft and fruity, making them ideal blending partners. Spanish Rioja is a well-known example. Under suitable climatic conditions and with low yields, however, the variety can also produce concentrated wines with ageing potential.

A fragrance reminiscent of violets on the nose, with plenty of cassis and a hint of marzipan. Moving, balanced and long on the finish.

Domaine Boucabeille

“The weather is turning fine” is usually a welcome statement. For winegrowers in Roussillon, however, it brings considerable worry. In the early 2000s, the rain stopped falling there. And when it does rain, as in summer 2011, so much water falls at once that it simply washes away the precious soil beneath the vines. As a result, yields from the gnarled vines on poor slate soils fall even further: a harsh reality. In Germany, we can expect around 7500 litres of wine per hectare; in Roussillon, this has fallen to just 1500 – 2000 litres per hectare. Only a few years earlier, yields were twice as high. It was then that Jean Boucabeille left his job to take over the estate from his father: “Back then, you could still make a good living from it.” Jean’s father, Régis Boucabeille, bought the land in the 1970s and planted the first vines on 12 hectares of steep slopes at the foot of Forca Real, a small mountain in northern Roussillon. Alongside his main job in the private sector, he tended the estate as a hobby, with loving manual care. Following its conversion to organic viticulture, the estate has been organically certified since 2008.

The poor slate soils force the vines to root deeply to reach water and essential minerals. The interplay of these soils, low rainfall and low yields produces wines of incredible aromatic diversity and richness. The slate gives them their typical character: finesse, elegant tannins, complex aromas and a long finish. All of this is achieved entirely by hand.