Les Deplaudes De Tartaras


AOC: IGP Collines Rhodaniennes
Varieties: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Mornen Noir ( Old variety from the Vallée du Gier ), Viognier, Jacquere, Roussanne, Clairette
Viticulture: Organic Certified (Ecocert)
Size: 5.5 Hectares in wine production, 15 hectares in polyculture including milk cows, grains and fruit
Production: 18000 bottles per year
Terroir: Schist, Micaschist, Clay
 
“We were farmers before we were vignerons” Pierre-Andre and Anne Deplaude like to say with no small measure of pride.It’s often said that wines are made in the vineyard, not in the winery.  This is of course a simplification but we’ve always liked working with those vignerons with big callused hands from the field, not cravats and suits, so imagine how happy when we stumbled on wines being made by people in love with the idea of polyculture, that wine was just a part of their farm.  

When Pierre-Andre and Anne started to farm in the out of the way Coteaux-Du-Gier somewhere between Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand wine wasn’t a priority, instead it was grains, fruits and dairy cows, as well as a tiny production of wines.  This kept going until the early 2000s when a drop in milk prices forced them to rethink a few things, and they decided to take some of their most interesting land and convert it to vineyards.
​
What didn’t change was the commitment to be farmers first, to work the land honestly and responsibly and have the product reflect that, be it wine or milk.  When Guilhaume, Michael and I first tasted these wines we were amazed to be drinking such pure terroir driven wines from a region we hadn’t even heard of days before.

WINES
Jacquere, Roussane, Chasselas, Ravat Blanc and Clairette.
Fermented and raised in 2 "Cuves Diamant" (Cement egg laying on it's side) sur lie.
Bottled in July.
Variety : Viognier with 20% Chouchillon, the indigenous cepage of tartaras.
Single vineyard 12 years old
Élevage: 9 months in vat and demi-muid
Yields : 40 hecto/ha
Grape varieties: 60%Jacquère - 40%Roussanne
Young vines
Ageing: 6 months in vats
Yield: 50 hecto/ha.
Chardonnay/Viognier, very small yields resulting in 1 barrique and 1 demi Muid in 2018 (frost followed by coulure)
Varieties : Marsanne - Viognier
Young Vines
Élevage : Barrique and egg
​100% Pinot Noir. Destemmed. ​10 months elevage in barriques.
100% Gamay on schist, fermented in stainless then raised in a mix of stainless and barriques.
Variety : Mornen noir 
Young Vines
Élevage : 8 months on neutral wood
Yields : 28 hecto/ha
70% Gamay, 10% Pinot and 20% Syrah. Less pinot than usual due to yields, Stainless Steel 
The heavier, more structured Syrah (southern exposure) and older vines making for a meatier, maybe more age worthy wine.

Demi muids and barriques, some stems.
The brighter Syrah from younger vines grown on north exposure.  
Élevage  in barriques, some stems.
​100% Gamay on Schist from a parcel they took over two years ago that's undergoing Bio certification.
Mix of stainless, Barriques and Demi Muids for the elevage, the parcel wasn't subjected to frost and the purity of the fruit really shows here.