The wines

Did you know that without a winemaker there can be, and never has been, any wine? Advertising, marketing and other concepts of "natural wine" will not change that. Wine is in fact a transitional phase between two states which are natural: at the beginning the grape and its juice, and at the end, vinegar!
It can take weeks, months, even years, but the outcome will always be the same. The best bottle of the finest grand cru will inevitably end up as vinegar in contact with the air, good or bad by the way, because there too the vinegar maker must bring his know-how.

Wine is a living matter which therefore evolves with time. The winemaker elaborates the wine by intervening in this natural evolution, prolonging the intermediate state that is wine thanks to his know-how.
The wines created at the Domaine du Bané belong to the category of dry wines, that is to say generally containing less than 1 g of sugar per litre. Moreover they are not perceived as "alcoholic". Generally 12-13% by volume, which suits me perfectly, as well as my wines, because alcohol hides many flaws (!) but also organoleptic qualities. Of course on this point too nature decides and it can sometimes reach 13-13.5% in a "sunny" year. These are therefore organic, authentic and highly qualitative wines from traditional grape varieties. Organic, aromatic wines and blended cuvées.

Red wines

After alcoholic (high temperature) and malolactic fermentation, my red wines are all aged in French oak barrels of the Burgundy format (228 l), bought from the village cooper, which makes it possible to have casks with the characteristics (wood, toasting, grain etc.) that my wine and I like! Ageing is mostly done in barrels of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th wine. Syrah, which is the predominant red grape at the estate, does not like new wood much (and neither do I!), because it is a naturally full-bodied variety. I only look for micro-oxygenation through the wood of the barrels and do not seek to "Parkerise" my creations.
After a few months of barrel ageing depending on the vintage, I blend and bottle the wine. It is then aged further at the estate in bottles for 1-2 years before being put on sale, to soften it, which allows it to be enjoyed in the year of sale or decanted if you cannot wait!
Produced at the estate:
- a dry, single-varietal red wine, made exclusively from Syrah, a full-bodied wine to accompany spicy dishes, seasoned meats and game, or simply to enjoy with a piece of rock'n'roll, Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and even Ted Nugent.
- dry red wines made mainly from Syrah blended with other varieties to bring fruit and suppleness, round wines to accompany guinea fowl and southern dishes. Or to savour when mature with a piece of jazz, Charlie Haden or John Coltrane, and if younger and fuller-bodied, why not Sonny Rollins!

Thanks to the vinification and the grape variety, these wines will keep improving for several years (3-9 years depending on the vintage) in a cellar at constant temperature and humidity.

White and rosé wines

The whites and the rosé produced at the estate come from a low-temperature alcoholic fermentation, and malolactic fermentation for both, because as far as possible I let white and rosé carry out their natural deacidification known as malolactic fermentation, to make them suppler wines that can improve in the bottle. White and rosé are aged in tanks, sometimes in barrels, then bottled for the following year when they go on sale, 2013 vintage in 2014 etc.
These wines can be drunk from the year of sale but can also improve for another 1-5 years in the bottle.
Produced at the estate:
- a white wine made exclusively (100%) from the white Viognier grape, fresh as an aperitif but also at room temperature, a wine of finesse and subtlety to accompany fish, ravioles and white meat. Also simply try this wine with a good Eric Clapton guitar solo!
- a white wine made exclusively (100%) from the white Chardonnay grape, fresh as an aperitif, which also goes wonderfully with oysters and fish. Why not also enjoy it while listening to Charlie Parker or Janis Joplin. And if it is barrel-aged on the lees, why not, just with a good book!
- a fruity white blend, enjoyed on its own with a good comic book and a few tapas or sushi!
- a rosé wine made either from Syrah or from a blend, a wine to share with friends, easy-drinking and fresh, which can also accompany poultry, charcuterie, shellfish, exotic dishes and creamy cheese, or be drunk in summer under a tree while changing the world with your friends to a piece of free jazz by Wayne Shorter or Archie Shepp!

It is up to you to appreciate them, to love them and to dream!

Some cuvées are dedicated to relatives and friends, Jean, JJ, Pauline and others, for their help in making the wines, as well as to our "webmaster" Jaimie.