2024 Harvest in Cairanne : Sixth Vintage at Domaine Les Hautes Cances
2024. Sixth vintage harvested at Domaine Les Hautes Cances. Year after year, we deepen our understanding of the terroirs on our estate in Cairanne – an appellation that truly speaks to our winemaking soul.
The diversity of the terroir and grape varieties
The first stage of the harvest : white grapes
All grapes are harvested by hand. Our Spanish pickers, who are housed on-site for the duration of the harvest, arrived on September 4.
September 6 and 7 were dedicated to harvesting the white grape varieties. We picked the Viognier from Col du Débat—a cool, high-altitude, north-facing terroir—alongside the Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, and Roussanne from the Beauregard area. This sector, located on the terraces of the left bank of the Aygues River, benefits from the natural coolness brought by the nearby water.
By planting early-ripening varieties like Viognier on later-ripening terroirs—and vice versa—we’re able to harvest each grape at its optimal maturity, all within the same time frame.
Harvesting the red varieties : Cinsault, Syrah, and Grenache
The Vitalis sector, on the right bank terraces of the Aygues River, includes an old parcel of Cinsault that we were able to harvest starting Monday, September 9. These grapes were put into the vats alongside the young Syrah from Beauregard, which were harvested shortly after. From September 14 to 17, we picked the young Grenache, Syrah, and Marselan vines. Planted in neighboring villages on lighter soils, these grapes go into the blend for our Côtes du Rhône Rouge. Then, we returned to Beauregard to harvest the old Grenache and Syrah vines for a second batch of Cairanne red.
Vineyard Selection : Le Col du Débat
Following this, starting from September 20, we harvested our parcel selection of Cairanne Rouge “Le Col du Débat.” What a magnificent terroir! On these slopes at 250 meters altitude, facing north, the old Grenache vines find deep clay soils that give this cuvée a very distinctive character. A small parcel of “Serine” (a massal selection of Syrah with low yields originating from Côte Rôtie) completes the picture. The grapes from Le Col du Débat are vinified in a wooden vat purchased in 2019, which allows continuous exchanges between the must, oxygen, and wood throughout the entire fermentation process.
Harvesting after the equinox rains
Following the customary rains of the Autumn equinox, on September 27th we harvested a third batch from old vineyard parcels located in the southern sector of the appellation, within the Garrigues terroir. This terroir, characterized by rounded stones from the ancient riverbed of the Ouvèze, near the Plan de Dieu, is specifically dedicated to Grenache and Mourvèdre – Mediterranean varieties well adapted to withstand dry summer conditions. In this vat, we blended these grapes with Grenache and Mourvèdre exhibiting similar profiles from the Vitalis terrace.
Latest harvest: Grenache and Mourvèdre
The final pruning shears will be used for the parcels in the Beauregard sector, “next to Mireille.” These are relatively young vines (15 years old!) of Grenache and Mourvèdre, which require more time to reach perfect maturity. Being less deeply rooted, they pause their growth during the hottest hours of summer. We harvested them last, between October 1st and 5th.
