# Cassagne et Vitailles Les Crouzets Magnum (2022)

- **Producer:** Cassagne et Vitailles
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache Noir
- **Region:** Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €215
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 15–17 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** rose, violet, strawberry, cherry, plum, orange, black pepper

## About this wine

Domaine Cassagne et Vitailles was founded in 2015 by close friends Matthieu Rollin and Nicolas Seffusatti. After a decade running a wine import-export business in China, they returned to their native Languedoc to fulfill their dream of making wine. Based around 'Le Pressoir,' a fortified 15th-century farm, they craft highly sought-after, terroir-driven wines. 'Les Crouzets' is their flagship 100% Grenache, sourced from a single 50-year-old parcel in the high-altitude, wind-swept hills of the Terrasses du Larzac zone. To maintain complete stylistic freedom and capture the purest expression of the grape, they purposefully bypass official AOC rules, releasing this masterpiece as a Vin de France. It has quickly achieved cult status, frequently compared by top sommeliers to the legendary Grenaches of Château Rayas.

## Interesting facts

- Bypasses AOC regulations to remain a Vin de France, allowing the producers absolute freedom to craft a 100% Grenache.
- Often compared by top French sommeliers to the legendary and elusive Château Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
- Produced in extremely limited quantities and sold strictly on an allocation-only basis to prevent market speculation.

## Food pairing

This elegant, infusion-style Grenache behaves much like a fine Burgundy, requiring delicate, high-quality meats and earthy accompaniments. Its vibrant acidity and silky, integrated tannins pair beautifully with tender meats like veal, lamb, and duck. Earthy elements like chanterelles or wild mushrooms mirror the wine's subtle forest floor undertones, while avoiding heavy oak or aggressive spices preserves its highly perfumed, floral character.

## Wine making process

The winemaking for 'Les Crouzets' focuses on gentle infusion rather than heavy extraction to preserve the delicate, floral nature of Grenache. Sourced from 50-year-old vines grown on clay-gravel and sandstone soils, the hand-harvested grapes undergo cold maceration and whole-bunch fermentation in stainless steel or concrete tanks. Unlike other cuvées from the estate, 'Les Crouzets' is aged entirely on its fine lees in tanks rather than oak barrels. This deliberate choice prevents any oak influence, safeguarding the wine's remarkably pure, high-toned fruit and floral aromatics.