La Sauvageonne - Pica Broca 2002

"A wine with bags of character, suited to game and lamb dishes will profit from decanting and should cellar up to 8 years. Dense, with great expression of terroir (garrigue & herbs), rich with sweet and savoury tones and a long spicy finish." Gavin Crisfield - Winemaker, La Sauvageonne.

Named after the "Gres" terroir (from which the wine is produced) Syrah and Grenache undergo a maceration of 4 weeks with daily "pigeage" followed by careful ageing in both tank and oak.

The Vintage: One of the most difficult vintages of the decade. A cool but very dry start to the season followed by a wet harvest, however, incredibly variable. We received 50mm of rain during harvest whereas neighbours in Montpellier had almost 400mm!

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. Not being completely happy with the ‘Puech de Glen’ 2002 we have finally blended it into the Pica Broca 2002 which makes this wine exceptionally good value for money !