Château La Gordonne
Spring is here, and it’s time to enjoy the world’s favorite elixir: dry rosé wine from Provence.
Recently, Pauline Vranken, Executive Representative of the famed Vranken Pommery family in Champagne, hosted a lunch with her skilled cellar master, Julien Fort.
At just 27, Fort brings a depth of knowledge and a fresh perspective to winemaking. Their objective was to showcase their top-selling Château La Gordonne Rosé 2023 and the Château La Gordonne Bio Vérité du Terroir Rosé 2023.
This event marked Julien Fort’s first visit to New York, where he eloquently discussed the micro-terroir of the region and the extensive effort—such as hand picking and selection—taken to ensure wine of the highest quality.
The event was enlivened by Pauline Vranken, who shared behind-the-scenes stories of growing up in one of the world’s finest Champagne families. According to her, family meal times often become brainstorming sessions for future products.
It was during one of these meals that the idea of producing white, red, and rosé wines from unique terroir, and aging them in sandstone egg-shaped maturation vessels, was conceived. The use of sandstone eggs for aging mirrors Champagne’s tradition of meticulous care and rotation during aging.
The Trilogy: A Testament to Terroir and Innovation
These offerings—Le Cirque des Grives, Sémaphore, and Les Planètes—symbolize the unique terroir of the La Gordonne vineyards and the sophistication of its maturation process.
Each wine in the trilogy represents the pinnacle of terroir expression from the Golden Triangle—where clay, schist, and limestone meet to create a viticultural Eden.
The quality of the wines also reflects the winery’s decade-long commitment to organic farming.
Le Cirque des Grives, a rosé blend of Cinsault and Grenache, encapsulates the essence of Provence with its freshness, finesse, and fruity aromas.
Sémaphore, crafted from the Rolle grape, is a tribute to the vineyards’ finesse of the château’s white varieties.
Les Planètes, a red blend of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, radiates finesse and sophistication from its enticing aromas, to its near-translucent jewel color, to its silky tannins. The reason for this finesse is found in the production process: each berry is hand-selected and vinified in sandstone eggs before being blended by Julien Fort to achieve the perfect balance.
Conclusion
The wine-tasting lunch served not only to introduce the new vintages of the always-delicious Château La Gordonne Rosé 2023 and Château La Gordonne Bio Vérité du Terroir Rosé 2023 but also to showcase the family’s renewed focus on producing exceptional white and red wines from their superior terroir.
These initiatives by Château La Gordonne reflect broader trends in the wine industry towards sustainable practices, organic farming, and innovative aging techniques. By embracing these methods, the winery is not only improving the quality of its wines but also contributing to the sustainability and diversity of the wine-making tradition in Provence and beyond.
