Domaine Viret

Domaine Viret

Alaine and Philippe Viret
Quartier les Escoulenches, 26110 Saint Maurice sur Eigues
Tel. 475 276 277
Direct sale: All days 8.00-12.00 and 14.00-19.00
philippeviret@domaine-viret.com / cosmoculture@domaine-viret.com
www.domaine-viret.com

The fields of the domain were purchased by the grandfather of Alain Viret in 1917. Since 1973 Alain Viret has been in charge. In 1998 his son Philippe Viret finished his oenological education and joined his father. In 1999 the new cellars were built and the first bottling at the domain took place for vintage 1999.

The viticulture at the domain is a kind of biodynamical farming - they call it cosmoculture.

Quite many cuvées from the different terroirs are made from the 21 ha. belonging to the domain.

The wines go through a longer maceration period than normal in the area.
They are aged for quite a long period in barrels - up to three years.
Some years of rest does these wines good and they have a long keeping potential.

Philippe and Alaine Viret

Wines (Prices August 2008)

Cotes du Rhone Village Saint Maurice Emergence
Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. 25-30 hl./ha.
Macerationsperiod 30 days. Ageing in tank (50%) or barriques for 24-36 months. (17€)

Cotes du Rhone Village Saint Maurice Les Collonades
Grenache (up to 100 years old), Mourvèdre and Carignan. 25-30 hl/ha.
Macerationsperiod 35 days. Mourvedre is aged in barriques for 24 months, the rest in tank. (15€).

Cotes du Rhone Village Saint Maurice Maréotis
Grenache and Syrah. 25-30 hl./ha.
Macerationsperiod 30 days. Ageing in tank and barriques for 24 months. (15€)

Cotes du Rhone Village Saint Maurice Renaissance
Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. 28-35 hl./ha.
Macerationsperiod: 30 days. Aged for 18 months in cement tank. (10€)

Cotes du Rhone Energie (Yin / Yang) (6€)

Cotes du Rhone Blanc Coude d'Or
From 1,5 ha. with Viognier, Clairette, Roussanne and Marsanne.
Fermentation in barriques. (14€)

Vin du Table Cuvée Amphora
Ageing on amphora (0,5 l 15€)

Vin du Table Solstice
From 5 ha. with Mourvèdre, Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Caladoc, Grenache and Carignan. Aged in barriques. (5,5€)

Vin du Table Solstice Rosé
Mourvèdre, Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Caladoc, Grenache, Carignan and Syrah.
(5€)

Vin du Table Solstice Rosé
A unusual variant of rosé made as "sweet" ment for an aperitif.

Vin du Table Solstice Blanc (6€)
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Cosmoculture

Cotes du Rhone Village Saint Maurice

Cotes du Rhone

Vin du Table

...

"By placing cosmic posts and markings, we can capture a powerful and balanced energy, and we can select cosmic rays to address our goal."
This universal philosophy known from the old Inca and Maya civilizations can be seen in the architecture of the buildings of the domain - built in 1999.
The cellar was built of stones from the area around Remoullins the same kind of stones used by the Romans to build Pont du Gard, the famous aqueduct. The single stones were numbered so they could be placed in the same order as they originally had when they were cut out of the quarry.

Alaine Viret likes to tell about the philosophy of the domain.

For a single cuvé has been experiments with ageing in an amphora. From 2008 several new amphoras will be used.
Photo: Jens Hork

These old wooden casks are being prepered to be used as open fermentation casks for vintage 2008. The grapes will be crushed by feet as in the very old days.

At the top of the "temple" the grapes goes into the fermentation tanks.

Highest in the "apse" is fermentation tanks.

At the ground of the "apse" is fermentation or ageing tanks.

Barriques