Fully matured in oak casks and on fine lees, this cuvee is bottled without filtration in order to preserve all of its aromatic fragrance. The selected grapes come from our best parcels, mainly our eldest.
Assemblage of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre, noble variety of grapes from the Rhône Valley, issued from the eldest vine from our domain, this wine is matured the traditional way, in oak casks of high quality, in which it is frequently stirred with a stick. It is bottled without filtration and can then present slight sediment.
It offers a dense robe. Its aromas can be associated with black berries, rare spices, undergrowth and toasted bread notes. It evolves with time toward notes of leather, candied fruit and undergrowth scents.
This wine complex, rich and powerful, can be kept between 3 and 15 years in an adequate cellar. You will enjoy it best at around 16° to 18° C, following a 2-hour aeration span.
Olivier Chabanis, winegrower
Olivier Chabanis, epicurean and wine enthusiast, took the decision to produce wines that would be pleasant for him to taste. Wines patiently developed, combining traditional methods and modern techniques, with the goal of getting out of them the best of the grapes.
Former quality maanger in the industry, the call of the vine was the strongest for the son, grandson and great grandson of winemakers. A graduate of the University of Wine in Suze -la- Rousse, Olivier Chabanis transforms the wineyard "les Agates" into elegant wines, flavored and full-bodied.
In the vineyard, he is careful to limit yields and increase foliar exposure to enrich each grape. He practices pest management to protect the environment and raise healthy grapes. He makes parcels-based wines in order to respect the identity of each vine. He practices extraction adapted to the aromatic richness of each plot so to give support to the tannic wines that deserve it. These wines are made from the finest grapes of the Rhone Valley (Grenache, Syrah , Cinsault and Mourvedre for the red wines, Viognier , Roussanne and Marsanne for the white wines). He extracts the best from his grapes by means appropriate to the potential of each plot. His wines thus gain maximum aromatic concentration while keeping enough elegance.
Olivier Chabanis vinifies as naturally as possible. His wines are matured in part in concrete tanks so to stabilize temperatures and promote natural deposit. The other part is matured in oak barrels to slowly oxidize the wine in order to increase its aromatic richness and harmonize the tannins of the wine. He limits the fining and filtering or does not do any at all, to keep the maximum richness in its wines. He proceeds to his assemblages with the greatest respect the potential of each tank, while keeping a close eye on the harmony of each wine. It is advised by Gerald Lafond, renowned oenologist of the Rhone Valley.
The history of the Domaine des Agates
The passion for wines appeared in the Chabanis family around 1850. At that time, Louis Chabanis at a place called "Montagut" (Alba-la-Romaine in Ardeche), produced his first vines. In 1945, his grandson Joseph Chabanis planted on the land "Luas" (Alba-la-Romaine) the first noble varieties of grapes. Co-member in the cooperative of producers, he was also the first in the family to start vinifying a small part of its production for friends and family consumption. Then his sons Jean and André, the great grandsons of Louis, looking for high quality soils bought, in 1960, the land of "Rabaste", which they planted with nobles grape varieties (Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault) of the then nascent label Grignan-les-Adhemar, in the early 70s. Passionate about wines, they were among the firsts of the appelation to practice trellising.
Always looking for the best soils, they bought the vineyard le vignoble des Bruyères in 1985, which they recovered fully, taking great care to keep the old grapes while replacing low-quality varieties with main grape varieties (Syrah, Grenache). They also kept old Mourvedre and Cinsault to complete their aromatic range of wines. In 1987, they planted the vineyards of Châteauneuf and in 1990 the one in Villeneuve, taking great care to choose the most qualitative rootstocks for Grenache. In 2000 they left their successors a beautiful vineyard, harmoniously planted and perfectly maintained.
In 2000, he bought and restored the old vineyard of the Bois des mattes, a stony soil, swept by the mistral, perfect for Syrah. In 2001, he planted the first white grape varieties (Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne) on the soil of Bruyeres.
Olivier Chabanis was for about ten years quality manager in the industry before falling in love with wine. He left everything behind to take over the family vineyard. This is the man of the cellar which has a heavy responsibility to transform les "Agates" into elegant, flavored and full-bodied wines. After an initial training at the University of Wine in Suze-la-Rousse, it is in prestigious domains that he was given to learn high quality winemaking. He took over from his ancestors with the aim to offer his wines the best out of his grapes.
The legend of the Domaine des Agates
Wealthy merchants brought back from campaigns in Gaul, precious jars containing the fruit of beautiful vineyards from Tricastinum (from cellars in Donzère of which one can see a reproduction at the Université du Vin de Suze-la-Rousse in Drôme Provençale).
During meals given in honor of the victorious tribunes, the Akhatês wine was served to the guests whom found it delicious…
The emperor himself ordered that amphorae from Akhatès, with the magnificent taste and robe, were to be brought to him.
The Romans thus named the wine from our soils, Akhatès, because the grapes had the appearance of beautiful agates in shimmering colors and buxom.
From the depths of the Agates soil, resonates the legend of our domain…
The vineyard of the Domaine des Agates
A wide variety of naturally balanced soils, handled in the greater compliance with good wine-making practices, allows for a wide range of wines.
"I trellis the grapes in order to improve the exposure of leaves for better photosynthesis, as well as an enhanced exposure of the grapes to the sun and wind for a better ripening of the grapes, in ideal health conditions. I practice pest management over the entire domain to respect the land and the environment. I grassy the ground (totally or partially) in order to channel the vigor of the grape and reduce yields. This increases the richness of each grape. I practice a rigorous suckering and a green harvesting to limit yields to 40 hl / hectare on average. The harvest, partially manual, are made as late as possible, when the phenolic ripeness is at its optimum".
The winery of the Domaine des Agates
"Each variety of each plot has its own identity. I proceed to parcels-based winemaking (separated) to best extract the personality of the plot. I practice a total or partial de-stemming of the grapes according to the aromatic richness of each plot so to give a tannic support to the wines that deserve it. I extract the best of the grapes by means adapted to its potential (manual punching, unloading and reassembly) to acquire a maximum of concentration while keeping enough elegance".
"I vinify as naturally as possible with a constant control of temperatures. I make a wine aging partly in oak barrels of the highest quality in order to harmonize the tannins of the richest wines, and in part in concrete tanks to stabilize the temperatures and promote the natural deposit of wine. This limits the fining and filtering processes and thus keep up the aromatic richness of the wine. I realize the assemblages with the greatest respect for the potential of each tank, ensuring the harmony of each wine using the advice of Gerald Lafond, renowned oenologist of the Rhone Valley".
"I use concrete tanks for winemaking of the red wines: they provide perfect thermal insulation, their square shape facilitates sedimentation and does not require filtering. All tanks are temperature-controlled with stainless steel flags and large hats for pegging".
"For the rosé and white wines, however, I use stainless steel tanks. They are equipped with cooling jackets for winemaking at low temperatures".
"The piping systems carry the harvest, smoothly and by gravity, allowing for a perfect conservation of the wine aromas. The same goes for the racking where a treadmill effortlessly carries the marc in the press (qualitative pressed)".
"For better wine keeping and transfering by gravity (no pumping), the domain uses underground tanks. They provide ideal temperature conditions for wine storing".
Contact Domaine des Agates
Domaine des Agates
Chemin de l'étang - 26780 - Châteauneuf du Rhône - France
Mobile : 00 33 (0) 6 03 09 50 63
Fax : 00 33 (0) 4 75 90 75 59
Places where you can taste and buy our wines
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News
Jean-Pierre Coffe, une de mes premières références
Jean-Pierre Coffe - Mes vins préférés à moins de 10€ - 2004
Vous aurez sans doute du mal à imaginer le plaisir que l'un et l'autre éprouvons quand nous constatons que les vignerons dont nous vous avons parlé précédemment ont fait des progrès. Sur l'appellation Coteaux du Tricastin, au cœur de la Drôme provençale, nous avions évoqué le Domaine des Agates. Eh bien, en un an, les vins de Jean-Claude Riffard et Olivier Chabanis ont gagné en précision, sans se départir pour autant de leur belle aptitude à la garde.
Nous nous souvenons de la remarquable Cuvée “Le Privilège de Montagut„ 2001 (10 euros). Cette bouteille de rouge renferme un vin harmonieux et profond ; à l'aération, l'attaque en bouche se montre encore un peu boisée, mais nous avons été étonnés de sentir le fruit reprendre le dessus : un gage indéniable d'équilibre.
Par ailleurs, toujours en 2001, la Cuvée “Le Grand Luas„ (5 euros), en Coteaux du Tricastin, mérite votre attention. Ce rouge a des tanins encore un peu serrés, mais le fruit, bien défini, procure un grand moment de plaisir.
Le millésime 2002, souvent bien meilleur qu'on ne le prétend, a donné des vins forts en acidité ; nous considérons que c'est plutôt là une qualité pour les rosés du Midi. Si vous cherchez un rosé un peu “punchy„, jetez votre dévolu sur le Coteaux du Tricastin du Domaine des Agates ; en bouche, le fruit est bien présent, vif, gai. A découvrir sans risque pour 4,10 euros.
