Altan d'Aussieres Corbieres Grenache, Syrah, Carignan Red Wine

A beautiful concentration of fruit and aromas, Altan d'Aussières is a generous, medium-bodied wine that offers a complex palette of flavours from deep within the identity of our terroir, with scents of the garrigue (broom, rock rose), and aromatic herbs (thyme, sage, juniper and rosemary). The batches produced by carbonic maceration give the blend a creamy, velvety and yet firm structure, with an aromatic palette of fresh, very ripe fruit (crushed berries, strawberries). This complex mosaic is easily identifiable, constituting the very specific Corbières identity marker that we wanted to bring out with the techniques used in Altan's production. Altan d'Aussières thus offers a harmonious expression from the moment it is opened and does not need further bottle ageing.

Aussières has made wine since the Roman era, a period when the great properties of the Roman province of Narbonne were recorded in the land registry and became the main wine suppliers to Rome. Acquired in 1999 by Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite, the 550-hectare Domaine d'Aussières underwent a vast rehabilitation programme to restore and revitalize one of the oldest and most beautiful wine-making properties in the Narbonne region. 167 hectares of vines were replanted with carefully selected traditional Languedoc grape varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan, complemented by Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. The estate buildings were restored at the same time and a new winery installed in the old cellars, in the heart of the vineyard. Two thirds of the vineyard fall in the Corbières AOC appellation and one third in the Vin de Pays d'Oc appellation.

Altan d'Aussières is a wine that offers a superb expression of the classic Corbières grape varieties (Syrah, Grenache and Carignan). Both the vinification and ageing stages are carried out with a view to expressing the specific characteristics of each grape variety. Forty percent of the grapes are vinified with carbonic maceration in order to express the particularly distinctive aromatic markers of the Carignan and Syrah. The rest of the grapes are vinified traditionally in stainless steel and concrete vats. To preserve the pure expression of the terroirs obtained during the vinification process, the wine is aged without barrels to avoid any additional external aromatic input. The ageing process consists of 6 months in vats, then 8 to 10 months in bottles. This second period allows the wine to regain its fullness and cohesiveness after the ageing in vats and bottling.

Olivier Richaud has been Technical Manager of Domaine d'Aussières since January 2019. Before joining Domaine d'Aussières, Olivier was Project Manager of Domaine de Long Dai (China), for 6 years. He was in charge of the creation of the vineyard (30 ha) and the design and implementation of the process equipment and facilities. He also supervised and coordinated the construction of the building. Olivier Richaud started his career as Assistant Winemaker for Skalli-Fortant de France, then in 1998, he joined Domaine Chandon (Australia) within the Moet Hennessy Wine Division, in charge of implementation of sparkling wines vinification techniques and must oxidization protection methods. Olivier is a sports enthusiast, in particular running (Médoc Marathon, Bordeaux and Paris Semi-marathon), sailing, alpine ski and mountain bike (La médocaine race). In 1994, he did his french civilian service as Technical Manager on a coffee plantation (SODECI - CIRAD), in Cameroun.

Aussières was built on a fertile ecosystem where nature and people come together to learn from each other and create. Our village is very much a living place, where dialogue is the cardinal value. A dialogue of many kinds: between the elements, between the generations that have labored its grounds, between its villagers and craftsmen, and between the wine world's different schools of thought. That is what moves us forward, ultimately creating wines that tell a story of place, respect and nuance.

Please drink responsibly: The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend adults do not regularly drink more than 14 units per week.