Appellation: Corbières.
Cuvée: Prioundo.
Colour: Red.
Grapes: Grenache 80%, Cinsault 20%.
About: Prioundo means “the beautiful valley” in the language of Oc, the “langue d’oc”. The wine wears an air of serenity. From a blend more typical of the Rhône than the Corbières, it’s beautifully fresh, floral and digestible. And zero sulphites.
Vines
Location: in the Corbières hills, near the village of Villesèque surrounded by garrigue (and wild boar).
Size: 1.5ha.
Age: vines planted in 1980.
Soils: on clay soils that are very stony and well draining.
Exposition: south and south-east facing.
Altitude: 140-160m.
Training: gobelet.
Farming: organic and biodynamic.
Average yield hl/ha: 18.
Climate: Mediterranean.
Winemaking
Grapes were hand harvested in late September into small cases and rigorously sorted. 80% of the fruit was de-stemmed with no crushing, 20% left as whole bunch. It was given a 3 days cold maceration before fermentation by natural yeast with no added sulfites or other additives in stainless steel. It spent 21 days on the skins before being Basket pressed, then aged for 9 months in stainless steel, before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Vintage Notes 2014
Yield hl/ha: 20.
Harvested: September.
Bottles produced: 4,630
Date bottled: 2015-07
Alcohol %: 14.59
SO2 Total: 0
Vintage Notes 2016
Hydric stress, low cropping, very dry, sunny year, some rain in early season, early Spring caused poor flowering and then dry, delaying maturity but increasing concentration. Plus some hail on the Cinsault.
Yield hl/ha: 12
Harvested: Sept 10 and 18
Bottles produced: 1,200
Date bottled: 2017-08
Vintage Notes 2017
Mild and wet winter, warm spring, early budburst, cold snap early April brought frost problems, then fine May, very hot and dry summer, a bit of early August rain, resulting fruit high in acid and ripe.
Yield hl/ha: 15
Harvested: September
Bottles produced: 1,060
Date bottled: 2018-08
Alcohol %: 14.46
SO2 Total: 0
Tasting: 2021-02-16 very tight still, dense and meaty, bone dry, smokey dried cassis fruit, demands a juicy steak or spicy peppers.
Vintage Notes 2018
High mildew pressure in April and May was challenging but a northerly wind dried the vines and high temperatures in June, July and August brought the vintage to a nice conclusion
Yield hl/ha: 25
Harvested: mid September
Bottles produced: 1,400
Date bottled: 2019-08
Alcohol %: around 14.5
SO2 Total: 0 added
Tasting: 2021-02-16 succulent, juicy red and black berry, floral perfume, strawberry confit, nice tension and drinkability from balance ripe sweet fruit and vegetal acidity.