Fleurie La Madone Vieilles Vignes Domaine de la Madone 2022

Domaine de la Madone’s stunning Vieilles Vignes Fleurie comes from 70-100 year old vines grown on pink Granite high on the La Madone hill side. The hill gets its name from the chapel built on its summit by winegrowers in 1866 to protect the vines from powdery mildew which had plagued the region.
The Vieilles Vignes has a depth and richness beyond that of most Fleuries whilst retaining a lovely, elegant lift. The wine has a very deep purple appearance with a nose full of ripe red fruit aromas – raspberry and strawberry with a hint of spice and minerals.

Domaine de la Madone is owned and run by Arnaud Despres. Arnaud is the 6th generation of his family to farm this famous hillside vineyards that take their name from the chapel which sits on top of the hill high above the village of Fleurie. Arnaud’s 17 hectares, which sit on pink granite, enjoy some of the best growing conditions in the area and are blessed with exceptional amounts of sunlight - perfect for cultivating the Gamay grape. Arnauds oldest vines, between 70-100 years old sit just below his winery.

The winery is built into the hillside just below the chapel so the wine can be moved from picking baskets to tanks and then to barrels via gravity. Picking is done manually, and the whole bunches are macerated and fermented in concrete tanks for 10-15 days This cuvee is partially aged in oak barrels and there is some experimenting with concrete eggs. Filtration is very light and a small amount of sulphur is used.