Lauze pronounced: “Lowes” (like the home improvement store)
Traditionalist Styled Chateauneuf Wines
Winery
Woman winemaker/owner Anne Fourcher creates Traditionalist Styled Chateauneuf wines (contrasting with the Modernist Parker style), in an ancient cellar near the center of the famed Southern Rhone village, Cheateauneuf du Pape. Anne took over the winemaking in 2004. The winery is named for a local WWII Resistance Fighter, Count de Lauze, and colleague of Anne’s grandfather.
Winemaking and Vineayards: Anne Fourcher makes wines in the Traditionalist style, emphasizing more elegance and restraint. Her style contrasts sharply with the Modern New World/Parker style which began in 1996, in which Robert Parker promoted power and extraction (for bigger, oakier and riper wines). Hand harvested and rigorously field-sorted, her wines are fermented in either cement or stainless tanks with native yeasts and the red has no contact with new oak, with no intention of making extracted, oaky or heavy wines. Vineyards: Her rock-strewn parcels are situated on the north-facing, later-ripening northern edge of Chateauneuf du Pape north of Mont-Redon. Farming Certified as “HVE” (Haute Valeur Environmental) for protecting plant health and ensuring biodiversity in the vineyards. The name Lauze also refers to the commonly occuring flat stones found in the heavily rock-laden vineyards.
Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc, Comte de Lauze 2019 Certified
HVE Farming, New Vintage!
The vines are up to 50 years old, and are grown without pesticides or herbicides in a slightly cooler, north-sloping terroir that resembles a rock pile. Co- fermented using native yeast (45% Grenache Blanc, 35% Roussanne, 10% each Clairette and Bourbelenc), no malolactic conversion and aged in 10% in large 600L neutral barrels, influencing texture rather than flavor. Night-picked for bright acidity and fermented at cold 50 ̊F temeperatures. Aromas of peach and white flowers. On the palate a broad complexity, notes of citrus, exotic fruit, balanced between acidity and a creamy texture. The winemaker suggests decanting this age-worthy white to open it further, and to avoid serving it cold. Very rare, as only 5% of Chateauneuf wines are white. 150 cases.
Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge, Comte de Lauze 2018 Certified HVE Farming
91 Points, WA
91 Points, Wine Advocate: “Hints of raspberries but more black cherries, layered with hints of garrigue and black olive. Full-bodied and moderately concentrated, with silky tannins and lengthy finish.” The 40+ year old vines emerge from a sea of softball sized rocks with no visible dirt or topsoil. Made with no new oak, native-yeast fermented, the 20% Syrah and 80% Grenache is neither racked nor filtered. Her frigid 50° F cellar ensures prolonged fermentation in underground cement tanks. Opens with splash decant to reveal floral notes, spice and earth, elegant red fruits, power and yet restraint. This wine will age easily for a generation or more, yet is completely enjoyable now. 400 cases made.
