VINCENT RUIZ
Saint-Romain-de-Lerps
Rhône
In 2020, Vincent vinified his first wines in Saint-Romain de Lerps, a small village in northern Ardèche. When Domaine du Gringet was founded in 2022 with Vincent at the helm, the decision was made to continue this adventure by creating a range of wines named “Les Vins de Vincent”.
For this range, the fruit is purchased from a friend based in southern Ardèche, who farms Syrah, Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Carignan and Grenache Blanc organically on a high altitude terroir located in Gras, a clay-limestone plateau between Vallon Pont d’Arc and the village of Saint-Montan. This late ripening terroir results in grapes harvested just a few days before those of Domaine du Gringet. The grapes are hand harvested and transported by refrigerated truck to Domaine du Gringet in Ayse for vinification.
All cuvées are worked with whole clusters and fermented with native yeasts. Macerations are conducted without punching down or pumping over, typically lasting between five and twenty-five days depending on the cuvée. The wines are aged in concrete, stainless steel and fibreglass vats. Thanks to the low pH provided by this terroir, the cuvées are precise and stable, often needing very low levels of sulfur, if any at all (in 2022 was less than 12mg of total sulfur per litre).
By purchasing grapes from the same plots each year, the goal is to anchor the identity of each vintage over time and refine the vinification process to best express the potential of the Gras terroir.
Les Noces Alchimiques
Vintage 2021
Style Red
Region Ardéche
Varieties Grenache
ABV 14%
Soils Limestone, clay
Farming Organic
Winemaking From bush trained, old vine Grenache on clay-calcareous soils planted at 350m above sea level. Vincent carried out a two-week carbonic maceration in stainless steel. After a month it was racked and rested for further six months in fibreglass. There are no
added inputs, nor added S02 at any stage, 100% pure juice!
Tasting Note Ripe redcurrant, tangerine, dried herbs with an earthy touch. Good concentration with lots of balancing citrus, red fruit notes and touch of bitters.
Yseult Mon Amour
Vintage 2021
Style Red
Region Ardéche
Varieties Syrah
ABV 13%
Soils Limestone, clay
Farming Organic
Winemaking Fruit is sourced from a vineyard planted in 1961. The grapes are whole bunch macerated for two weeks with daily pipeage. The wine is vinified in fibre glass. No sulfur is at picking or during winemaking. Only a minimal addition of SO2 at botttling in the Summer.
Tasting Note Bright blueberry fruit and black plums, lend to beautiful violet notes and savoury undergrowth with a lift of crushed black pepper.
A Mon Ami Faust
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Ardéche
Varieties Grenache
ABV 12.5%
Soils Limestone, clay
Farming Organic
Winemaking Grenache Noir vines planted in the early 1980s on
clay-limestone soils at an altitude of 450m asl in the
southern Ardèche. Brief 5-day maceration using
whole bunches, but without performing any punching down nor pumping over. No
added sulfur either throughout the vinification process. Once pressed, the sugars are finished in tank over 8 months.
Tasting Note
Prima Materia
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Ardéche
Varieties Grenache
ABV 12%
Soils Clay, Limestone
Farming Organic
Winemaking This comes from bush trained, old Grenache vines (1970s planting) grown on
clay-limestone terroirs at 450m above sea level. Whole bunches of grapes undergo 15 days of maceration in tank. As for his other Grenache cuvée no pump overs or punch downs are performed to allow for a very gentle extraction. Ageing lasts 8 months on fine lees in stainless steel.
Tasting Note
Yseult Mon Amour
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Ardéche
Varieties Syrah
ABV 12%
Soils Limestone, Clay
Farming Organic
Winemaking The Syrah comes from the oldest vineyard planted on this terroir with vines being 60 years old on average. Whole bunches are macerated for 21 days before being pressed through a vertical press to feed into tank. Here the wine ages on its lees for 8 months until bottling.
Tasting Note