Domaine Altugnac Orange Is The New Wine 2020
Type: Orange Wine
Country: France
Region: Languedoc
Grape Variety: Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol Percentage: 11.5%
Climate: The valley has a Mediterranean climate with mountain influences, and experiences drastic fluctuations in temperature between night and day during the maturation period. However, at an altitude of 400m, with a south/south-easterly aspect, facing towards the Pyrenees, the vines’ exposure to the sun, winds, and altitude create a mesoclimate that favours a slow and long maturation period
Terroir: Vines are perched at 500 metres altitude, facing the Pyrenees mountains. The Muscats grow in barren, stony, fully south-facing slopes, and the Sauvignons, also south-facing, grow in deeper limestone clay soils
Ageing: This is a skin-fermented white wine, in other words, a white wine made like a red wine. The grape skins are not pressed to avoid the extraction of excessive bitterness, which also enables the alcoholic content to remain lower since the skins retain a certain amount of sugar and alcohol. These are separated out by gravity. The two fermentations take place during this period in the vat, with wild yeasts and no addition of sulphites. The grapes are macerated on their skins for 14 days, then gently crushed to extract the juice. Fermentation is then completed in barrels, and the wine is aged in barrels that are several vintages old, for around one year.
Color: A white wine with delicate orange reflections
Nose: Bright, highly aromatic notes of citrus fruit
Palate: Lightly tannic and wellstructured, it is fruity and immensely fresh in the mouth, with superb aromatic persistence. A mouth-watering and easy drinking wine of great originality that makes for a stunning aperitif, or as a perfect accompaniment to tapas and spicy cuisine
About the Winery:
Childhood friends Christian Collovray and Jean-Luc Terrier each grew up in a family of winemakers and shared a bond from a young age. They became even closer when they later married sisters Brigitte and Florence, also from a winemaking family. Following the success of Domaine des Deux Roches, in 1997 Christian and Jean-Luc branched out from Mâcon and purchased land in the southwest of the Languedoc in Limoux. This site benefits from an elevation of up to 500 meters, thereby moderating the Mediterranean climate. The shallow, limestone-based soils are ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The Altugnac estate spans more than 100 hectares which include vineyards, woods and farmland. Vines boast an average age of 30 years with some nearly 50 years old. Yields are low, sometimes half of that required by the designation. Just as they did with Domaine des Deux Roches, the duo sought and received their High Environmental Certification in 2017.