La Lôyane 2017 ‘Cuvee Marie’ Lirac Vieilles Vignes

PRODUCER INFO

• Domaine La Lôyane is a name you will start to hear regularly in discussions of noteworthy wine from the Southern Rhone.
• Romain Dubois started his winemaking career on the property at the age of fifteen under the advisement of his father, from whom he has inherited 75 acres of mostly old vine parcels in Lirac and Tavel. When you look at Romain it is hard to believe that he just completed his twentieth vintage – This is someone with experience and knowledge of the region’s terroir that belies his young age of 35 years.
• Laure Dubois, Romain’s charismatic and engaging wife, worked as a chef in nearby Chateauneuf-du-Pape prior to the birth of their two children, and she is now responsible for all of the vineyard work at the Domaine.
• Farming is organic, and most fermentation and aging takes place in steel tank. A portion of each wine is raised in their collection of ten used 600 liter barrels.

ABOUT THE WINE

• Organic farming practices in the vineyard
• Fruit is harvested from 150-year-old vines and hails from a vineyard site of mixed composition: clay, limestone and round-pebbles
• This blend is top example of Lirac at its most excellent.

Vintage: 2017 | Wine Type: Red Wine
Varietal: 90% Grenache, 10% Syrah
Origin: France | Appellation: Lirac
Elaboration: Organically farmed, hand-picked grapes. Fermented in stainless tank and aged nine months in oak demi-muids.
Winemaker: Romain Dubois

TASTING NOTES

“The 2017 Lirac Cuvee Marie derives mainly (90%) from 100-year-old Grenache vines, with a smattering of other permitted varieties. Aged nine months in demi-muids, it delivers scents of brandied cherries, cinnamon and cardamom. Full-bodied, lush and velvety, this is lovely stuff.” – Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate

“Decadent fruit and rustic earth tones calibrate neatly in this opulent red made from 90% Grenache. Flavors of dried strawberries and black figs are accented by toast, cinnamon and leather. It’s a richly fruity yet elegant wine that finishes on swathes of savory herbs and bold, chewy tannins. At peak now–2027.” – Anna Lee C. IIJIMA, Wine Enthusiast

TECHNICAL DATA

Production: 5000 bottles | Alcohol: 14.0% | TA: 7.6 g/l | Residual Sugar: <.2 g/l | pH: 3.7

PRESS & POINTS

2019 – 90 Points, Wine Enthusiast
2017 – 92 Points, Wine Advocate
2017 – 91 Points, Wine Enthusiast