La Sauvageonne - Les Ruffes 2002

"A lovely southern French wine, great with barbequed food, to be consumed within 3 years of vintage. Warm with cherry and red fruits, supple tannins and a peppery finish." Gavin Crisfield - Winemaker, La Sauvageonne.

"Soft and rich with clinging tannins." 16 points - Malcolm Gluck 'superplonk' - The Guardian UK.

The majority of our first wine is produced on volcanic soil (Syrah, Grenache) with a touch of Cinsault and Carignan (schist). A short maceration of grapes is followed by 6 months ageing in tank.

The Vintage: Finally a good vintage for light fruit driven wines with, however, very low yields at this price range. It was a year where sensitive varieties such as Syrah, once contaminated with mildew and rot, were completely devastated within 24 hours (as in the southern Rhone). Thankfully we escaped the worst but extreme selection in the vineyard was necessary; hence very low yields. The wines in general have less power than 2001 but are way more approachable and elegant.