The Vineyard
PiqueRoque lies in the heart of Provence between the villages of Cabasse and Flassans. At the centre of the 160 acre estate, overlooking the vines and olive plantation, is the 18thC bastide and former barn with pigeon-nier, from where the land runs down to the Issole River forming the West boundary of the property.
The present owners, of Anglo-Swedish origin, acquired PiqueRoque in late 1999 in the belief that it would be possible to produce good quality wines from the well-established vines.
The rocky limestone and clay soil is well drained, and the majority of the vines are planted on gentle slopes. This makes an ideal terroir of mineral rich, well drained soil ensuring the quality and concentration of the grapes.
Dry and sunny summers, coupled with often strong 'mistral' breezes, provide an. ideal climate for ripe, healthy fruit.
The (32 acre) vineyard is planted to high densities (4,000 vines/hectare) which encourages deep root formation and good natural mineral take-up. To further reduce yield and increase flavour concentration we prune hard, avoid chemical fertilisers and, when necessary, conduct a green harvest in mid-summer to further reduce over-bunching.
All our wines come from grapes grown, fermented and matured on the estate. Picking is done exclusively by hand to minimise damage to the vines, to allow proper selection of clean ripe fruit, and to reduce premature oxidation.
The Winery
Over the years we have modernised the chais, investing in a pneumatic press, stainless steel tanks, temperature control and CO2 blanket systems, improved insulation and our own bottling and labelling lines.
Our AOC reds and roses are produced from older vines and noble grape varieties, Cabinet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache. Special yeasts designed to maximise flavour and colour extraction are used along with careful attention to temperature control to achieve desired fermentation rate. Red wines are matured in barrel, but new oak is avoided as this is neither traditional in this region nor in keeping with our wish to emphasise natural fruit flavours.
Vins de Pays reds, roses and whites are also produced. These are lighter in colour, concentration and alcohol, and designed for early drinking. Grenache, Merlot, Cinsault and young Syrah go into the reds and roses, whilst our white is pure Ugni Blanc from 50-year old vines. From 2007 on we will have Rolle and Sauvignon Blanc to blend into our white wine.
The wines are made by a young Englishman, Max Hubbard, who has managed the Domaine since 1999, having previously worked in the wine business in London and in Australia. Max is advised and supported on the technical side by a well-known local French oenologue.
Our philosophy is to produce fruit driven easy drinking wines at reasonable prices so providing good value for money.
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