Provence
Château Routas, Côteaux Varois en Provence
Founded in 1992 by Philippe Bieler, the Routas estate was purchased in 2005 by Scottish entrepreneur Sir David Murray, former Chairman of the Glasgow Rangers Football Club. The 642 acre property includes 135 acres of strategically planted vine parcels scattered throughout the rocky, heavily-wooded terrain in this unspoiled, high-elevation sector of Provence.
Today, Sir David's son Keith directs Routas' international commercial affairs from offices in Edinburgh and New York, while day-to-day operations in Provence are handled by former Domaine Ott enologist Jean-Louis Bavay and Vineyard Manager Philippe Saraciva. Saraciva grew up in the Var and joined Routas right out of viticulture/enology school. Both men made the transition from Routas' former ownership.
While Château Routas' stellar reputation for Provence rosé continues under the Murray family, Bavay also produces an excellent range of red and white wines. The estate's vin de garde is called L'Infernet, named for the dramatic 885 foot gorge on the estate called Le Trou de L'Infernet (the devil's hole). A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, L'Infernet's generous dark berry character is accented by scents of garrigue and herbes de Provence. Jean-Louis also makes an aromatically complex white wine based on Viognier from Condrieu cuttings called Coquelicot, the name of the Var's ubiquitous red poppy.
Domaine Facts
| Vines: | 135 of the estate's 642 acres under vine — Sustainably farmed (lutte raisonnée) |
| Wines: | Côteaux Varois Rosé: 55% Cinsault, 30% Grenache, 15% Syrah Côteaux Varois Rouge L'Infernet: 38% Grenache, 38% Syrah, 24% Cab. Sauvignon Coquelicot VdP du Var Blanc: 80% Viognier (stainless steel), 20% Chardonnay (barrel) |
| Soil: | Limestone hills of the Var with pockets of iron-rich, red clay |
| Yields: | 38 hectoliters/hectare |
| Vinification & Elevage: |
All fruit is destemmed. Fermentation for white and rosé wines takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The rosé is made from direct pneumatic press juice and bottled in mid-February after five months on its fine lees. The Viognier for Cuvée Coquelicot is vinified entirely in stainless steel tanks and blended with approximately 20% barrel-fermented, barrel-aged Chardonnay (six months in neutral oak). The three-week cuvaison for components of Cuvée L'Infernet is preceded by a five-day cold soak. The three varieties are fermented separately and then blended. Elevage takes place in large (5000 liter) oak foudres for approximately 15 months. L'Infernet is not fined and undergoes only a light plaque filtration before bottling. |
| Annual Production: | 240,000 bottles / 20,000 cases |