# Sainte Cécile Côtes du Rhône Villages (2024)

- **Producer:** Colombes des Vignes (Cave des Vignerons Réunis)
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
- **Region:** Rhône, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €10
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blackberry, raspberry, black pepper, smoke, vanilla, leather, game

## About this wine

Sainte Cécile by Colombes des Vignes is produced by Cave des Vignerons Réunis, a cooperative founded in 1936 in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes. Uniting around 240 to 300 winegrowers across the Southern Rhône Valley, the estate works under High Environmental Value (HVE) and organic standards. Sainte-Cécile was officially elevated to a recognized Côtes du Rhône Villages named appellation in 2016, celebrated for its unique clay, silty, and limestone pebble soils.

## Interesting facts

- Sainte-Cécile was officially granted its own named Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation status in 2016.
- The vineyards are refreshed by both the dry, cool Mistral wind and the humid Levant wind.
- Bottled in eco-friendly lightweight glass bottles weighing approximately 420 grams.

## Food pairing

The structured tannins, medium-plus body, and savory Mediterranean herbal complexity make this red an ideal match for rich protein dishes. Proteins cut through the fine tannins, while savory notes in slow-cooked lamb or beef stew harmonize naturally with the spice and black fruit profile of the wine.

## Wine making process

Grapes are machine-harvested at optimal phenolic ripeness and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The must undergoes daily pumping over twice per day across a 2 to 3-week maceration period for gentle extraction. The majority of the wine matures in concrete tanks to preserve fresh red and black fruit character, while 10% is aged for 12 months in 400-liter French oak barrels (20% new oak).