FREE SHIPPING IN FRANCE FROM 24 BOTTLES / PLACE YOUR ORDERS BY EMAIL: CONTACT@DOMAINEDEMARIE.COM AND POSSIBILITY OF CLICK & COLLECT

MEETING WITH THE CELLAR MASTER

March 06, 2020

RENCONTRE AVEC LE MAÎTRE DE CHAI

Private tour in the secret of the Chai

When Jocelyne and Jean-Louis Sibuet acquired the Bastide de Marie, eight hectares of vines surrounded it with their protective feet, producers of generous and joyful grapes, full of the Provençal sun. Meeting with the local boy Arnaud Bressy, cellar master who, having learned everything from the elders here, gave birth to the wine made in Sibuet, a true terroir wine.

And the lover of divine beverages became a winemaker... The first harvest took place in 2000, a turning point in the life of Jean-Louis Sibuet, who produces his own wine stamped Luberon. Little by little, he bought up plots of vines that surrounded his own, to arrive at the current total of 24 hectares. A humble estate in terms of size but which benefits from great recognition from professionals in the sector. "We are on mineral wines, clearly stamped Luberon. While focusing on the fruit, we remain in line with the wines of the region. We remain on the typicality of the terroir" explains Arnaud.

Arnaud Bressy returns from a plot that he has gone to check, we are in the middle of the grape harvest period, time is running out for him. No matter, the cellar master guides us through the wooden barrels, intended for maturing red wines, and continues towards the cellar with stainless steel vats. These state-of-the-art thermo-regulated vats are intended for vinifying white and rosé wines. Three or four months will be necessary to bring them to maturity, before bottling. "Rosé is very trendy, it has been growing worldwide for years" explains the man of the art. "Here, we used to drink it to the rhythm of the cicadas. Now, it is invited to the table all year round. We are creating an uncomplicated, fresh, thirst-quenching rosé. Its reputation is starting to become significant. The estate is progressing, it is gratifying. » And this recognition particularly rewards the work of the cellar master, who has been there from the beginning: the Sibuets gave him free rein. "I toured the vineyard with Jean-Louis Sibuet, I had crutches on my feet, I will always remember it, then put my cards on the table: with a completely organic orientation, that's how I intended to go about it. Jean-Louis Sibuet trusted me from the start. This adventure is exhilarating, I started from scratch and I worked in such a climate of freedom..." He used his freedom by making respect for the terroir his priority, so as not to "work against common sense". "We don't use weedkillers, preferring to work with mechanical solutions." In the end, Arnaud doesn't have a favorite wine or pride for a particular vintage, but rather for his range, precisely, which offers a beautiful harmony: "My pride? Having found a place for each wine, with our three different terroirs and the subtlety of each one. » Various exposures, clay-sand soils, terrains on slopes exposed to the South-West, to the west, all the configurations give different expressions.

Keeping the old noble grape varieties

But the visit continues inside the winery and Arnaud opens the doors to an astonishing red vat with a brilliant vermilion color. "This epoxy vat, buried in the rock, allows us to age for a long time. I have some very beautiful Syrah in the vat on the left, for No. 1, our top of the range. They are exceptional, I don't want the wood to change them, it is perfect as it is. It will continue to age without any aromatic modification." The ageing in oak barrels is used to refine the tannins. "In the wood, the wine breathes. Micro-oxygenation is done very gently, the still young wine has time to combine the oxygen to improve." The AOP Luberon is also still young, since the appellation is twenty-five years old, but there is a real identity on these 3,500 hectares. A real diversity, too, and Marie's estate is no exception. "Keeping the old noble grape varieties, removing the less qualitative ones, that's how we started. Today, we have a good understanding of our terroir, which is why we are appreciated by connoisseurs, with our emblematic rosé of Provence, of summer, in the collective imagination but also with our white cuvée N°1 vinified and aged in ovoid concrete vats or Viognier associated with Muscat à petit grains and Gewurztraminer give a slightly gastro, complex and rich white. It offers a unique aroma that will pair wonderfully with foie gras, but not only. Very aromatic, it excels with foie gras, but not only. The red N°1 - Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre grape varieties - is born on 25-30 year old vines. "We feel a certain elegance in this cuvée, with melted tannins, for a subtle marriage with a quail or a rib of beef. » We also find the editorial team's favorite, the Le cuvée. For The vintage. The plot. The grape variety. The, in short. "We are on 90% Grenache over 40 years old, old vines on a plot of exceptional concentration. The yield is very low, we only release it on exceptional vintages like 2001, 2003 or 2007. The roots have gone deep there, they really give us the taste of the terroir. It's incredible what we can make our land say through our wine."





Also in News

DEGUSTATIONS AU DOMAINE
TASTINGS AT THE ESTATE

February 19, 2020

Discover the Domaine’s wines with Arnaud Bressy, through themed tastings.

Continue Reading

SOIREE GYPSET AU CAVEAU
GYPSET EVENING AT THE CELLAR

February 12, 2020

In the heart of the 23 hectares of Domaine de Marie, a new reception venue awaits you.

Continue Reading