Domaine le Sang des Cailloux ‘Cuvee Doucinello’

This week I’m crushing on a deep red that warms the soul. From the southern rhone in the small village of Vacqueyras, serge Férigoule is making wine that is the very definition of a velvet blanket!

Sang des Cailloux translates to the ‘blood of the stones’ which references the unique soil here. on the banks of the Ouvèze river & sandwiched between Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape and Gigondas is where one can find Domaine le sang des cailloux. At the helm is Serge who’s story is the stuff of movies and who’s handlebar mustache is almost as big as his heart! Serge has been making wine here for years and years - like since 1979 when he came here to work for then-owner monsieur ricard. serge converted the vineyards to biodynamics and began to discover his unique vision of Vacqueyras. Monsieur ricard was without an heir and the property was passed to Serge officially in 1982. In 1990, vacqueyras became an official AOC and serge launched domaine le sang des cailloux which is quite lucky for us cuz this wine is legendary!

each year, the Traditional cuvee of Le Sang des Cailloux is named for one of his daughters - Floureto, Doucinello and Azalaïs. incidentally, The “Vieilles Vignes” or old vines is called “Lopy” which is his hometown.

His wines have everything i love about vacqueyras – wild and untamed with an almost chewy texture! classic in every way - tbh, i think he wrote the definition of classic in this part of the world!! like serge and his mustache, these are BIG/huge wines that are filled with heart and love while at the same time being elegant, structured works of art!

This cuvee is named for doucinello - one of Serge’s daughters - and is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault from vineyards planted on a mixture of red clay, limestone, and galets roules (large round stones). Every grape is harvested by hand and destemmed before fermentation (with native yeast of course) in cement tanks. It’s aged a minimum of six months in the tank before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Every sip is an textural experience. Dare I say - rich & compelling? What I can say is that I could keep drinking this wine all night and still feel like I was experiencing something unique with each sip. Deep sanguine red in the glass, there’s a rustic quality and a warmth that lingers. Iron-rich with deep dark fruits - italian plum and a kind of cedar-y/herby note that peeks in when it breathes for a bit. Sooo classic and so pure and exactly what it should be. Seriously, I just want to sit around a fire on a cold night with my friends and savor this together (as long as they brought another bottle cuz I don’t want to run out!)