2020 Le Coq Volant Blanc, Côtes du Rhône Villages

The emblem of the Domaine de Galuval the Rooster, spins around as the weathervane is battered by the wind. The Mistral and the benefit it brings are what help our vineyards to prosper ventilating the vines, keeping the grapes healthy and chasing away the clouds to allow them to reach perfect maturity. The Coq Volant White takes its inspiration from this wind and offers a fresh soaring profile as a tribute. A quartet of local grapes, white Grenache, Viognier, Roussanne and Clairette have given birth to this wine. Golden yellow with greenish highlights. A complex nose of white flowers, honeysuckle and lime blossom. In the mouth it is elegant and diaphanous, with lovely smoothness of the first palate bright fruit and persistent freshness. A delicacy of expression that is rare for the region.

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Viticulture

Le Coq Volant White is made from parcels in the Gayére Valley which takes its name from the river that runs through it. It is renowned for the freshness of its marbled clay soils which make it an ideal terroir for fresh and elegant gastronomic white wines. Situated to the south of the village of Cairanne, this terroir is made up of colluvions rich in moisture retaining silt, with few stones but occasional gravel and pebbles. The clay is marbled, with limestone nodules and abundant pseudo-mycelia, forming substrata that enable the vines to survive the summer heat thanks to the plentiful water supply to their roots. The vines average 6 years of age and lie at an altitude of 130m.

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Vinification

The grapes are picked at dawn by machine. Upon arrival at the winery the grapes go into a vibrating hopper to preserve the integrity of the berries. They are then directly pressed in an axially fed, closed cage pneumatic press. Only the core of the press wine is retained from 0.6 bars. The juice is cold settled at 12ºC to retain only the fine lees. It is then seeded with selected yeasts and fermentation takes place in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats at 14-18ºC with macro-oxygenation throughout. We preserve the natural levels of malic acid by blocking malolactic fermentation. The lees are stirred into suspension before the wine is racked then aged on fine lees. It is then matured in stainless steel vats on fine lees for four months.

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Recommendation

Delicious served as an aperitif or with light fresh cuisine such as roast scallops with a sprinkling of orange zest, a cheese soufflé or a poached egg with asparagus and parmesan cream