Domaine du Clos des Fées : La Petite Sibérie 2021

Characteristics and tasting tips for La Petite Sibérie 2021 from Domaine du Clos des Fées

Tasting

Appearance

The appearance reveals a deep, almost opaque red color, with subtle purple highlights at the rim of the glass.

Nose

The nose is captivating, revealing aromas of stewed black fruit mixed with oriental spices. Noble balsamic and woody notes accompany this complex bouquet. After aeration, the wine evolves towards nuances of vanilla, roasted red peppers, garrigue, licorice, and cocoa.

Palate

On the palate, this wine impresses with its concentration and fruity density. The tannins, both tight and silky, create a velvety texture that combines power and elegance. The remarkably long finish leaves persistent impressions of licorice, cocoa, garrigue, and minerality that evolve over several minutes.

Food and wine pairings

This wine is an ideal accompaniment to characterful red meats such as rare duck breast, rib of beef with candied shallots, or duck fillet in blood sauce. It also pairs perfectly with game such as haunch of venison with wine-poached pears, wild boar stew, or pigeon with licorice. Matured washed-rind cheeses and Pyrenean sheep's milk tomme cheeses are also excellent pairings.

Service and cellaring

It is recommended to open La Petite Sibérie 2021 about two hours before serving rather than decanting it, simply by placing a cloth over the neck. The ideal serving temperature is between 16 and 18°C. This wine can be enjoyed until approximately 2051, with optimal maturity expected from around 2031.

An exceptional Roussillon red wine from a legendary plot

The estate

Created in 1998 by Hervé and Claudine Bizeul, Domaine du Clos des Fées now spans approximately 40 to 50 hectares in Roussillon. Hervé Bizeul, Best Young Sommelier of France at the age of 21, former restaurateur and wine journalist, transformed this project initially intended to produce wine for friends into a world-renowned estate. Distinguished by three stars in the Bettane & Desseauve guide, the estate embodies the viticultural excellence of Roussillon through an approach respectful of the terroir and traditional practices. Hervé and Claudine Bizeul today manage this property which counts 112 plots distributed over seven different terroirs.

The vineyard

La Petite Sibérie comes from a single 2.32-hectare plot located in the Vingrau cirque, about thirty kilometers north of Perpignan, in Côtes du Roussillon Villages. This plot occupies the southern slope of a small hill oriented east-west, on clay-limestone soil covered with a flow of red-black schists and mica-schists exceptionally rich in iron. The site takes its name from the icy north-west wind that sweeps across it more than two hundred days a year. The vines, Gobelet-trained and planted between two hundred and four hundred meters above sea level, benefit from a unique microclimate shaped by the proximity of the Mediterranean and the influence of the Pyrenees.

The vintage

The 2021 vintage in Roussillon was marked by a harsh winter with frost episodes affecting the French vineyard. A milder spring allowed for flowering at the end of May, followed by particularly rainy months of June and July. Weather instability was observed between mid-July and mid-August, creating contrasting conditions that required precise vineyard management to achieve optimal phenolic maturity while preserving the freshness of the fruit.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for La Petite Sibérie 2021 are harvested manually and immediately transported in refrigerated trucks. Winemaking includes a twenty-day maceration with daily gentle punch-downs. After running off, the wine is aged in new barrels from the Saury cooperage, on fine lees. Regular topping up is carried out with a blend of Mourvèdre and Syrah at a rate of 5 to 7%. Bottling is done without filtration.

Grape varieties

Grenache Noir (96%)
Mourvèdre (2%)
Syrah (2%)