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Meet the winemaker – Vincent Boyer



We caught up with Vincent to find out what made 2016 such an extraordinary year and why this Côtes du Rhône is such a favourite.

Do you remember how and when you were first introduced to Averys?

We met Mimi Avery in 2004 at “decouverte en vallée du Rhône”

Domaine de la Bastide Côtes du Rhône has been an Averys favourite ever since. Why do you think it has proved so popular?

The philosophy of our wines has always been to obtain very honest wines and very good value for money. Honest for me means that your wines are made to be drunk. It is easy, with sweet tannins, nice colour and very typical of the southern Rhône. It is a wine that can be drunk at any time.

What can customers expect if they move up and try your Visan or Gloire de mon Pere?

These wines are made with the same idea that a wine must be easy and charming. But, in each wine, I want to reflect different things. So, with the red Côtes du Rhône, it is just a nice smile, while with the Visan, you can feel the stones, the complexity of the “terroir”. It’s a wine that can be enjoyed with more complex dishes and the aromas are more spicy and more concentrated.

The gloire de mon père is the most personal wine I have as  I created it in honour of my father. It is a pure Syrah, this wine is the idea I had of my father, you don’t need to show your strength to be really strong – it’s a wine that shows some “force tranquille”. It is strong, complex, but very sweet and the flavours are extremely deep and long on the palate with an incredibly long finish. 

We’re currently selling the 2016 vintage of your wines. Can you tell us a bit more about this vintage in the Southern Rhône?

In the southern Rhône, 2016 has been an incredible vintage, good volume, and perfect quality. The wines have deep colours, complex but sweet tannins and are very fruity. We had a lot of sun and it was very dry at the start of summer but the rain arrived just in time to make very well balanced wines.

I believe you’re a supporter of organic farming. What difference do you think it makes?

Yes, even if on Domaine de la Bastide I am not certified organic, I really believe in it. I do not use chemical pesticides and each year I plant some fields with flowers to help bees and insects. Being a grower gives me a responsibility to protect our environment the best I can. Seeing that there is life in my vineyard gives me a lot of satisfaction and since I have stopped using chemicals products, I have much more fruity wines.



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