Les Deplaude de Tartaras 'Ciel d'Orage'

Literally translated as “Stormy Sky”, Ciel d’Orage is a blend of Gamay, Syrah & Pinot Noir! This crush aka YUMMMMMYY is from Anne and Pierre-André Déplaude! These two work about 20 hectares but only 5-ha are vines in Collines Rhodaniennes (a gem of a region located barely south of Beaujolais and north of the northern Rhone). Anne & Pierre-Andre are farmers and with pride, they say that wine grapes are just a part of their farm. Truly this is the definition of polyculture - they grow grains, fruits & raise dairy cows in addition to the vines. Years ago, when milk prices plummeted, they decided to lean into the vines and make wine for a broader market (not just their own consumption). Thank gawd!! 

Ciel d'Orage is a medium-bodied delightful wine with quiet concentration and a lengthy finish - the dark fruits and peppery backdrop of Syrah are perfectly balanced with the red cherry, blackberry, dusty tannins of Gamay - darker cherry & plum vibes with gorgeous minerality bring up the rear (thanks, Pinot Noir!). I guess all that to say - what a f’ing delish blend!!!

Soooo the nitty gritty of this wine is….: 70% Gamay, 20% Syrah, 10% Pinot Noir
Hand-harvested from 23 year-old vines grown on mica schist + gravel soils.
Grapes are partly destemmed and part-whole bunches - all co-fermented! You may recall from previous crushes or club notes, this creates a semi-carbonic environment for a portion of the grapes and brings some amazing freshness to the party. After about 2 weeks of maceration, the juice is racked and blending ensues. The following baby-wine goes into concrete for about 9 months before being bottled - unfined, unfiltered, with no additional SO2.