Enzo Ferretti & Ivan Guergadi
Domaine de la Guicharde
Mondragon, Rhône Valley
The Massif d'Uchaux is a raised plateau of siliceous limestone, an ancient seabed near Mondragon. It receives the full force of the mistral, the strong cold north-easterly that blows through the Rhône valley in winter. Much of the massif is covered in scrub, stunted oak and Mediterranean pine forest. It's a wild part of the Côtes-du-Rhône, quite unlike the better-known cru and villages appellations, and produces wines that reflect this. It was this character that led us to search for a producer who best expressed the unique terroir.
Our research brought us to Domaine de la Guicharde, in the tiny hamlet of Derboux. Arnaud and Isabelle Guicharde settled here in 1988 with the intent of producing the area's finest Côtes-du-Rhône offerings. Incidentally the name of the domaine is not taken from their family name, having been established by the prior owners in 1960. The site sits near the ruins of a 12th century castle and is today owned by organic entrepreneur Didier Perréol and managed by winemaker Laurence Goudal Hameau de Derboux.
Domaine de la Guicharde is one of the few domains in the region to have its vines on the soil formed by weathering of the massif itself, rather than the alluvial soils typical of the region. The vineyards are carved out of the scrub that sits atop the elevated plateau of the massif. The vines are exposed to the mistral, which provides the benefit of reducing disease pressure and stunting vegetative growth and yields. The soil is dominated by limestone riddled with fossil shells and ancient marine life. Some vineyards only have 20-30cm of soil for the roots to cling too, forcing them into the rock itself.
The 15 hectares of vineyards range from 35 to 55+ years old and are certified biodynamic by Demeter, with severe pruning severe to restrict the yields even further. In the winery grapes are carefully sorted before being destemmed and vatted. All the red varieties are co-fermented where possible for the full integration of varietal characters in the wines. Post-ferment, the wines are assembled and racked to cement or stainless tank where they remain until bottling.
These are Côtes-du-Rhônes with a slightly wild garrigue edge, dark brooding fruits and pronounced minerality that rate amongst the most terroir expressive wines in our portfolio. They offer great value given they are handmade artisanal wines.