Domaine Bressy-Masson Rasteau
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Tasting Notes
A juicy, enticing wine with smooth tannins and an intense blackberry fruit character lifted by aromas of Provencal herbs.
Producer
This wine is the result of a partnership between the Bréchet family (of Château Vaudieu and Domaine des Bosquets) and Paul Emile Masson of Domaine Bressy-Masson in Rasteau. Paul Emile is the fourth generation of the Masson family, who first started making wine at their family domaine in 1947. Laurent Bréchet’s interest lies in finding the best sites in diverse villages of the Southern Rhône, and in Bressy he has lit upon what many experts in the region regard as the best site in Rasteau.
Domaine Bressy-Masson has over 20 hectares of vines, which are spread over south-facing hillsides. The soil is dominated by variations of limestone marl and clay, which give the wine both elegance and power. The Grenache Noir grows on blue marl, close to the domaine, whereas both the Syrah and Mourvèdre are grown on the stonier terraces of ‘Le Crapon’ and ‘Le Plan de Dieu’. The topsoil on these terraces is covered with rounded pebbles, which retain heat well, storing it by day and releasing it to the vines at night. This aids ripening, ensuring full phenolic maturity at an earlier stage, which means the grapes can still be picked while they are fresh and croquants.
The wine is a blend of 82% Grenache, 14% Syrah and 4% Mourvèdre. Well-known Rhône consultant Philippe Cambie, who also works with both Vaudieu and Bosquets, among others, oversees the vinification in the recently modernised cellar. The grapes are optically sorted and then crushed before fermentation takes place in concrete. Each grape variety is vinified separately to maximise the expression of site and variety. The Syrah is aged for eight months in old oak barrels, whereas both the Mourvèdre and the Grenache spend eight months in concrete or stainless steel tanks, before all three are blended together. The result is a juicy, enticing wine with smooth tannins and an intense blackberry fruit character lifted by aromas of Provençal herbs.
Vineyards
The vineyards are spread over 20 hectares of south-facing hillsides. The soil is dominated by variations of limestone marl and clay, which give the wine both elegance and power. The Grenache Noir grows on blue marl, close to the domaine, whereas both the Syrah and Mourvedre are grown on the stonier terraces of 'Le Crapon' and 'Le Plan de Dieu'. The topsoil on these terraces is covered with rounded pebbles, which retain heat well, storing it by day and releasing it to the vines at night.