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The New Plantation Project
A planting project that began
two years ago has reached its conclusion this spring. When the Domaine was
purchased, eighteen hectares of vines were pulled up. This was made up of old
lesser-known varieties from which top quality wine could not be produced. There
has been an ongoing project to replant ten hectares of vineyard with carefully
selected varieties that will increase the diversity and quality of the overall
vineyard at Domaine Sainte Rose.
First Phase – March 2005
The goal in the first phase of replantation was to increase the percentage of
white grape varieties. After much debate it was decided to plant three hectares
of Sauvignon Blanc and half a hectare of Muscat.
Initially the Simpson’s were sceptical of planting Sauvignon Blanc in the warm
Languedoc climate conditions, however having tasted several very good examples
of this variety produced in the area they were won over and look forward to
adding this very popular variety to the white wine range.
Muscat is also an interesting addition to our range as the intention is to
produce a sweet wine with these grapes. The Muscat plantation is just in front
of the chateau at Sainte Rose so will be the showpiece vineyard.
These white varieties are now well established and should be suitably mature to
produce a crop of grapes significant enough to harvest next vintage, so look out
for some new wines coming out of the 2007 vintage.
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Workers prepare the vines
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Vines in the ground with wax seal
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Tractor that places the roots at a certain depth
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The Sauvignon parcel
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The Parcel
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Second Phase – March 2007
After much deliberation three
red varieties were selected for the second phase of planting and one more white
variety.
In temperatures reaching twenty
one degrees Celsius a plantation team, using state-of-the-art laser guided
technology, started by planting one hectare of Petit Verdot. This is the least
known and least grown of the Bordeaux varieties. It is losing popularity in
Bordeaux because it matures very late in what is a cooler climate area. In
warmer climates however it is gaining more and more positive recognition as a
single varietal, hence the choice to plant it at Sainte Rose. The Australians
have heralded it as a possible contender to the ever popular Shiraz!
The second variety planted was
another 2.7 hectares of Syrah (Shiraz), our most popular and successful red
variety found in three out of four of our core range of products.
On day three of planting the
temperature had dropped 10 degrees Celsius and out in the vineyards the team
were experiencing gusts of wind up to 65 kilometers per hour! Thankfully they
were able to complete the 1.5 hectares of Mourvedre that they were planting in
front of the Chateau. The grape variety Mourvedre originated in Spain where it
is called Monastrell, however it is now grown right along the Spanish and French
Mediterranean coast, thriving in the warm yet windy conditions. At Sainte Rose
this variety will be used with Syrah and Grenache to produce a GSM blend.
The final variety planted in
this second phase was another white variety, that of Marsanne. Marsanne
originates in the Rhone Valley and along with Roussanne and Viognier is found in
most Rhone white wine blends. The Roussanne-based wines produced at Domaine
Sainte Rose have become increasingly popular, thus this variety will add to and
increase the quality of these products through selective blending.
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Mourvedre vine.
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Row of Mourvedre.
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Laser guided planting plough.
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Row of Petit Verdot.
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Mourvedre row.
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More Information:
Map of the vineyards as they are
today with colour coded
varieties
Vineyard Pictures
French
Classification System Explained
Languedoc Reputation
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