La Grande Ourse

Information

Description

At the heart of a 15-hectare estate, including 13 dedicated to vineyards, most of my wine heritage is steeped in the history of my family. Nestled between the charming towns of Tulette in the Drôme Provençale and Visan in the enclave of the popes, Vaucluse, my estate is distinguished by the passion transmitted through four generations in the Côtes du Rhône.
The soul of the vineyards of Visan lies in its exceptional red grape varieties, syrah and grenache while that of Tulette celebrates the diversity with red grape varieties such as black and gray grenache, mourvèdre, syrah, counoise, muscardin, terret noir, vaccarèse. The whites enchant us with the subtlety of the grape varieties grenache, roussanne, bourboulenc.
My land, bathed in sun, is drawn between woods and hedges, exposed mainly to the south and southeast, offering beautiful hillsides in Tulette and serene plains in Visan. The clay-limestone soils, sometimes stony and clay-sandy limestone, shape the unique identity of each plot.
Starting in 2002, I started farming organically, receiving AB certification in 2008. Since 2019, I have started bio-dynamic agriculture marked by the Demeter certification from the 2022 vintage and thus renewing my commitment to strengthen the soil structure in the face of global warming. My focus on natural rhythms, guided by a lunar calendar and seedlings defines my approach.
At the heart of this approach, I usa fermented extracts, herbal teas and decoctions, creating a balance in the treatment of vines with plants and fowers. This practice reduces copper and sulfur doses while stimulating natural defenses and promoting the development of life.
From April to July, tillage covers almost all plots, ensuring a stable passage according to rainfall in somme cases. Favouring moderare green works and reasoned decisions, my approach respects the natural balance. In the fall, I let the natural planting of herbs and soft flowers, creating a vegetation cover similar to a natural meadow during the winter rest of the vines.An occasional application of compost completes this attention to the soil, emphasizing that wine derives its essence from the grape and soil from which it is born.
At every stage, from natural rhythms to maturity analyses, I cultivate healthy and tasty grapes in order to tend towards expressive, elegant and fine wines…
The harvest, done meticulously by hand, shows my dedication after all the work done on the vines.
For the whites, I use a pneumatic press with closed cage, then I make a light settling. The vinification takes place in tanks and demi-muids, including part of new. After the alcoholic fermentation a racking precedes a delicate aging on fine lees under the wood, in egg-shaped concrete tank and stainless tank for 11 months.
As for the reds, wiwinemaking is based on a gentle approach, avoiding any deep extraction. Scraping, crushing and daily winding guide the process. I carefully watch over the alcoholic fermentation of grapes, then allowing a measured maceration.
In most cases, I prefer a vinification by locality and separate grape varieties, leaving the choice of a blend or not of press wines (pneumatic pressing). The lees deposits in vats precede a racking for under-timbering between ten and twelve months, exploring various containers to enrich the unique expression of our reds. (Foudres, demi-muids, barrels, jars, conical trunks, etc.) From the vine to the bottle, I preserve purity with a measured use of sulphur dioxide (SO2). Each dip, racking and bottling is precisely orchestrated according to the lunar rhythms to achieve even more finesse.

Appellation

Côtes du Rhône Villages Suze la Rousse AOP

Région viticole

Vallée du Rhône

Country

France

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Production mode

Year of certification

2024

Quality approach

Demeter

Packaging

Glass bottle

Bulk wine

Product type

Still wine

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Distribution networks

Current customer(s) type

Café / Hotel / Restaurant

Caviste

Grossiste

Importateur

Current countries

France

Irlande

Italie

Luxembourg

République Tchèque

Type of target customer(s)

Wine merchant

Wholesaler

Importer

Target country(ies)

South Africa

Germany

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Chile

Denmark

Spain

Finland

France

Greece

Hong Kong

Reunion Island

Japan

Mexico

Monaco

Norway

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

The Netherlands

Poland

French Polynesia

United Kingdom

Republic of Korea

Saint-Martin (Dutch part)

Singapore

Swiss

Suede

Taiwan

Thailand

Vietnam

UNITED STATES

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Website

Visit the CHALON Pascal website

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Main contact

First name

Pascal

Name

CHALON

Function

Producteur / Productrice