2021 Domaine du Petit Août Haute-Alps Rouge 'La Mémoire Neuve'

100% organic Mollard from vines ranging in age from 5 to 55 years old. The grapes are hand-harvested in small batches, then fermented and aged in fiberglass tanks with daily pump-overs. The juice undergoes a 7-day fermentation period, after which the free-run and press wines are blended. After malolactic, the wine is aged for 6 months in fiberglass tanks on its fine lees and is bottled after a light filtration. 

Tasting Notes

Medium bodied, with notes of Morello cherry and black fruit with a savory note of black pepper and lovely rosewater and lavender overtones. Soft on the palate with just the hint of some crunchy, stemmy tannins, this is a very versatile wine that can be enjoyed with anything you might put on your dinner table.

About Domaine du Petit Août

Domaine du Petit Août (little August in French) takes its name from proprietor Yann Agostini’s Italian heritage (Agostini is little August in Italian).  Yann’s grandfather left his home near Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy during the Second World War and found work in this beautiful valley just south of Gap. He worked as a mason in the region and passed on the knowledge of his trade to Yann’s dad. Yann has worked harvests in St. Emilion, Southwest France, the Yarra Valley in Australia and Chateauneuf du Pape before returning to the Haute Alpes.  In 2012 he built a small winery outside of Théüs.  80% of Yann’s vines are rented from other producers; currently there are 6 hectares in production, broken into a number of different varieties: Mollard, Roussanne, Clairette, Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Marsanne. Ages of the vines vary greatly, with the oldest being 55 years old and the youngest 5 years old. Yields are low: 40 hl/ha on average. While always respecting the vineyards, Yann took the plunge in 2014 and began working organically, and he is certified since 2017. He uses no artificial fertilizers or herbicides, and only copper and sulfur to treat the vines. Harvest is by hand and red wines are made and aged in fiberglass and stainless steel tanks, while white wines are aged 6-8 months in 225-liter oak barrels. The wines are lightly fined and filtered before being bottled.