# Cassagne et Vitailles Les Crouzets (2021)

- **Producer:** Cassagne et Vitailles
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache
- **Region:** Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €80
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** rose, lavender, strawberry, raspberry, plum, herbaceous

## About this wine

Founded in 2015 by childhood friends Matthieu Rollin and Nicolas Seffusatti, Domaine Cassagne et Vitailles is located in the Terrasses du Larzac area of Languedoc, France. After a decade of importing French wines to China, the founders returned to their roots with the ambition to craft exceptional wines that embody their philosophy, Perfectus in Statera ("Perfection in Balance"). "Les Crouzets" is a unique expression of 50-year-old Grenache vines grown in a single high-altitude parcel in Montpeyroux. To showcase this single-varietal expression, which is forbidden under local AOC rules, the producers intentionally chose to forfeit the Terrasses du Larzac appellation, releasing the wine as a Vin de France.

## Interesting facts

- To bottle this 100% Grenache, the producers forfeited the prestigious Terrasses du Larzac AOC, classifying it as a humble Vin de France.
- The wine is crafted from old vines averaging 50 years of age, grown on a single high-altitude parcel in Montpeyroux.
- It is aged entirely in stainless steel rather than oak to protect the delicate, natural rose-petal aromas of the Grenache grape.

## Food pairing

This elegant, medium-bodied Grenache thrives alongside dishes that mirror its herbal, garrigue-infused character and vibrant acidity. The absence of oak and the presence of silky, low-to-medium tannins make it highly versatile, pairing beautifully with roasted meats, game birds, and earthy Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme, and lavender without overpowering them.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for Les Crouzets is designed to preserve the pure, unadulterated fruit profile of the old-vine Grenache. The grapes are grown using organic and biodynamic principles on clay-gravel, sandstone, and limestone soils. Due to the intense summer heat, a late manual harvest is performed to allow slow, optimal phenolic ripening during cooler night hours. In the cellar, natural, low-intervention fermentation is carried out using whole bunches in small, temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. To protect the delicate, perfume-like floral characteristics of the grape, the wine is aged strictly in stainless steel tanks, completely avoiding oak contact.