Founded in 1995, Calmel & Joseph is a maison de negoce specializing in Languedoc-Roussillon wines from private wineries from across the region. Over the years, they have built close personal relationships with a large number of growers from all appellations. Convinced of the extraordinary potential of this region, oenologist, Laurent Calmel, and Jerome Joseph work together on the vinification, blending and ageing of wines with the common purpose of demonstrating the little known yet unique quality of these Mediterranean terroirs. As well as their desire to produce high quality wines consistent with their terroirs, they are committed to making wines which reflect their convictions and experience.

Vineyards

Limestone clay. The vines are located west of Limoux at an altitude of 200 to 300 meters where the average rainfall is 800 mm/year. The climate is humid and temperate, open to westerly flows and warm periods. Maturity is later than in the Mediterranean and Autan terroirs.

Vinification

60 % Chardonnay, 30 % Chenin Blanc, 10% Pinot Noir.

Made using the Mthode Traditionnelle. The grapes are exclusively hand-picked and transported to the cellar in small crates. The Pinot macerate for one night (to give its colourto this Cremant), then all the grapes are pressed and later vinified like a classic white wine in thermo-regulated tanks at 15C. The wine is then painstakingly blended from a selection of vats and bottled with the addition of selected yeasts. It is then that the second fermentation begins, with the resulting carbon dioxide that forms in the bottle creating the effervescence. The wine is then left to rest in contact with its lees for 15 months. The final stage consists of turning the bottle so that the neck is at the bottom, where the sediment will accumulate and can been expelled after being frozen. A small amount of liquid is lost during this process and so the wine is topped up with still wine and liqueur dexpedition (a sweet mixture) just before the final corking stage.

Tasting Notes

Beautiful cherry pink colour with slightly green reflections. The bubbles are small, delicate and explosive. The nose is well balanced with an attack of ripe red fruits, wild strawberries, raspberries. A greedy mouth, ample with a nice freshness where we find the aromas of jinx and exotic fruits. Lovely, long length on the finish makes this Cremant rose a very festive, refreshing and elegant wine.