New to the Cellar - Domaine Belle
We have a fresh-face on our shelves and another quality producer to the range at Maison Vauron, Domaine Belle. Located in the northern Rhône Valley, in the best village in Crozes-Hermitage, Larnage. The vineyard extends over three appellations: Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage and St-Joseph. Here the domaine brings a “new wave” of wines – clean, fresh and elegant and bound to traditional wine-making techniques.
The domaine has interesting origins and ones that date back to the 1600’s. It all began in Hermitage where the Lord of Larnage owned the Château and the vineyards that surrounded it. It was in 1769 that the families of the village were each granted a small parcel of land with vines for their own personal use.
The Belle family holding gradually expanded and in the 1930’s it consisted of the many neighbouring plots. Albert Belle was the first to take action on the property when it was handed down to him in the 1970’s. With his passion for vines and wine he began to make wine for himself and his friends.
In 1990 Albert’s son Philippe returned from an oenology course and put an emphasis on wine making, not long after, Domaine Belle was created. Together Albert and Philippe built a modern, functional winery, giving them the means to produce great wines which respect the terroir of the individual appellations.
From then the Domaine’s wine-growing land expanded rapidly, including various soil types (galets and granite) and different appellations, to arrive at 20 hectares in the 2000’s.
Since Albert’s retirement in 2003, Philippe has continued in the vineyard with the help of his children Guillaume and Valentin. Passionate about their work, committed to protecting the terroirs and dedicated to making the wines from Larnage known around the world, it is not surprising that their wines are a significant player in the region and ones that we are proud to bring in to Aotearoa.
