by Paige Donner
4 Cépages Domaine du Rey, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne
Tasting Notes: Pale, pastel Easter yellow hues. Delicate, floral nose – yellow freesia, sweet Meyer lemon, tiny hint of honeysuckle at the break of dawn. On the palate – gives a gentle first impression then opens up to a well-balanced dry, fresh, aromatic pleasant finish. Citrus and tropical fruits, subtle Meyer lemon. Maturity (aged on fine lees) evident in its soft but present character. Serve at 8 – 10ºC.
“Strongly characterised by Ugni Blanc and Colombard. It is our most typical Côte de Gascogne wine.” – Claude Almayrac
Pair With: Excellent with charcuterie. Perfect with good country plancha of goose rillettes, round cheeses, terrine de campagne and other cold cuts. Also shellfish and seafood, even grilled white fish cooked on the bbq.
Production Notes: Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon, Gros Manseng. Grown in the clay-limestone areas of the vineyard and from average 25 year old vines. Maceration on skins followed by cooled carbonic maceration, then controlled fermentation at 15º C before racking. Long maturation on fine lees in tank. Drink within 3 years. Medals: Top 100 IGP France; Bronze Concours general de Paris 2011.
Domaine du Rey – About
The Côtes de Gascogne is in that lush and beautiful Southwest region between Bordeaux and Toulouse. It’s knows as Armagnac country but as Domaine du Rey’s wines attest to, some wonderful white-variety grapes are grown in the region resulting in fresh, characterful white wines.
The terroir of the region can be described as a mixture of sands blown-in from the West, limestone sediment and soil deposits from the Pyrénées. The area is influenced by the Garonne River on one side of it and the Adour River to the south which flows into the Atlantic at Bayonne. These are the two rivers that demarcate this Southwest region of France.
The owners of Domaine du Rey, Claude Almayrac and family, attest that their 26 ha. of Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne evidence the same or similar characteristics of that of the famed Ténerèze of Armagnac terroir: mixture of clay-limestone soil from near Condom (the town), detritus deposits washed down from the Pyrénées and white sand from Bas Armagnac. Domaine du Rey also has gravelly soils.
In addition to the richness the diversity of the soil lends the maturing grapevines, the Southern and Eastern sun exposures also allow for a slow-developing ripening and maturation. They grow five dominant grape varieties in their vineyards: Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Gros Manseng. The vines’ average age is about 20 years.
domainedurey.com Domaine du Rey – 32330 GONDRIN (FRANCE)
Chérie Du Vin 