An incredible amount of care and finesse has been applied to this wine as it was created. Extended skin maceration at the start and a very long secondary Malolactic fermentation on oak has led to a wine with great depth and character; much more complex than other local Grenache Blanc wines. Smooth and almost seamless as it rolls across the palate, it is more than just an everyday wine.

CHARACTERISTICS

Yellow/gold in colour, the nose shows layers of aromas starting with citrus notes, hawthorn blossom and then more exotic banana and pineapple and finally a touch of honey and almond. The palate is similar with a very smooth mouth-feel and good volume, without being overly heavy. It is very well integrated and due to its nature, it will probably gain additional complexity as it ages. The depth and complexity would match a range of foods, more than as an apero.

THE WINERY

Even Bakke is a very experienced winemaker from California with an impressive CV. He fulfilled his ambition of having his own vineyard when family and friends helped him buy an old run down estate in the very north of the Ventoux appellation, in a spectacular setting at the foot of the Dentelles and Mont Ventoux itself. The attraction of the estate was the terroir, with a range of parcels spread between 360 and 420 M, mostly in Triassic limestone clay, with fractured limestone and sand; hence the new name. With 25 HA of mostly Grenache and an average vine age over 40 years, he has fantastic grapes to work with. 2007 was the first harvest and he has farmed organically and with biodynamic principles from the outset. A full certification will follow in due course. For Even, this is not a marketing ploy, it is truly a way of life and it shows throughout everything that is done at the winery. Even is clearly a talented winemaker, who has been able to take the modern winemaking techniques learnt in California and meld them in a natural way with the fabulous vines of this Provencal hillside. His first vintage is proof of this talent.