GG_N49_ESP

RHÔNE VALLEY
IDENTITY
LUBERON, BETWEEN THE RHONE
AND PROVENCE
THE MANY GEOLOGICAL FRACTURES ACROSS THE VINEYARDS OF CHÂTEAU ISOLETTE
HAVE CREATED A SIGNIFICANT RANGE OF VINEYARD SITES WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR
FULLY EXPRESSING THE ART OF BLENDING PRIZED BY RHONE APPELLATIONS
OLIVIER ROUQUET MATURES HIS SYRAH FOR OVER 18 MONTHS IN USED CASKS IN ORDER
TO SLOWLY OXYGENATE THEM WITHOUT CONCEALING THEIR FULL FINESSE WITH OVERLY
OAKED WOOD AROMAS
Set in the heart of a national park, the Luberon
wine region extends over the northern and
southern slopes of its namesake hill range.
Olivier Rouquet, who manages Château Isolette
located on the northern slope, explains that
the Luberon is actually home to two different
areas with very different weather patterns: “The
southern slopes, where the vineyards stretch
down as far as the river Durance, has a much
more marked Mediterranean influence, with
higher temperatures both by day and night. In
the northern part of the Luberon, the Mistral
wind does not blow as strongly but the vineyards
benefit more from the nightly downward flow of
cool air from the Alps. This creates a significant
diurnal shift that can reach 15 to 20°C. The cool
nights help preserve acidity and slow down the
ripening process of the grapes, so that budburst
and harvesting occur two weeks later than on
the plains”. The vineyards at Château Isolette
cover 45 hectares surrounded by 200 hectares of
woodland. They range between elevations of 300
to 400 metres, thus benefiting from cool temperatures
that are dialled up due to the local topography.
The Luberon wine region is dotted with
myriad vineyard blocks, very often surrounded
by forests. This sets the scene for highly developed
natural biodiversity. Some blocks at
Château Isolette are located lower down, along
the banks of the river Calavon, which marks the
border with AOC Ventoux country. The soils here
are comprised of marl, which is more fertile
than on the hillsides. They generally deliver
supple wines, due to the nature of the soils and
higher yields. On the northern foothills of the
Luberon, the vineyards are mainly North-facing,
at elevations of up to 400 metres. These
poor soils contain stony scree. Rouquet has a
categorical definition of the estate’s terroir,
claiming it is more akin to the Northern than
to the Southern Rhone. “Syrah thrives on these
soils and develops characteristics on a par with
those of the prestigious appellations located
30 AUTUMN 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE