# Les Crouzets (2023)

- **Producer:** Domaine Cassagne et Vitailles
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache
- **Region:** Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €87
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, strawberry, cherry, rose, black pepper, herbaceous, vanilla, cloves, leather, forest floor

## About this wine

Domaine Cassagne et Vitailles was founded in 2015 by childhood friends Matthieu Rollin and Nicolas Seffusatti. After spending a decade building a successful wine-importing business in China, they returned to their native Languedoc to pursue their dream of crafting elite, terroir-driven wines. The estate comprises high-altitude, fragmented vineyards near Montpeyroux. 'Les Crouzets' is a highly allocated, single-parcel cuvée sourced from a historic, 50-year-old micro-plot. Because local AOC regulations do not permit single-varietal Grenache red wines, the estate consciously bottles this cuvée as a Vin de France to maintain their stylistic freedom and showcase the purest expression of their unique terroir.

## Interesting facts

- The estate's cellar was designed under the supervision of a Feng Shui master to optimize thermal inertia and positive energy flows.
- It is bottled as a Vin de France because Terrasses du Larzac AOC rules do not permit 100% single-varietal Grenache red wines.
- Critics frequently compare this ethereal, low-extraction Grenache to fine red Burgundy or the legendary Château Rayas.

## Food pairing

This elegant, low-tannin, high-acid Grenache behaves similarly to a fine Pinot Noir. It pairs beautifully with tender, high-quality proteins and dishes featuring earthy, herbal, or red-fruit elements. The wine's vibrant acidity cuts through rich duck or lamb, while its delicate structure is not overwhelmed by lighter meats or roasted vegetables.

## Wine making process

The viticulture at Domaine Cassagne et Vitailles is certified organic and incorporates biodynamic principles, featuring manual vineyard work and natural cover cropping to maintain soil health. For 'Les Crouzets,' the grapes are harvested by hand at low yields. In the cellar, the winemakers employ a gentle, low-extraction 'infusion' style of maceration rather than heavy mechanical extraction to preserve the delicate nature of the Grenache grapes. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in concrete eggs and high-end French oak barrels, including Burgundy-style casks from Tonnellerie Chassin, to refine the structure without imparting dominant oak flavors.