Wineshark Wine Tasting - Domaine Coursodon

After walking up the Hermitage hill to visit the small stone chapel overseeing the Rhone River and seeing the vines of this famous Northern Rhone appellation, we went to Le Vineum, the restaurant owned by Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine, we drove to Domaine Coursodon to continue our winery visit.

The Coursodon vineyard produces exclusively red and white Saint-Joseph extending across 16 hectares, in which 13.5 hectares are for red (exclusively Syrah) and 2.5 hectares of white (Marsanne and Roussanne).

The vineyards are mainly located in Mauves, the birthplace of Saint-Joseph, on granitic soil most favored by Syrah. The rest of the properties is situated on the communes of Glun, Tournon and Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. Before going into the cellar, we were shown where the vineyards were on the hills.

On the steep slopes of Saint-Joseph, the work of the vine is work for only courageous men. In winter, the vines are cut out in the form of goblets. Then in spring, the time is for debudding, to allow only the most promising buds to be kept.

Around mid-May is the time to 'fence' the vine. This method is specific to vines planted on extreme slopes, with the vines attached to props with bulrush or straw. At the same time the young branches are 'epillonnes' to favor the ventilation and penetration of light to the vines, necessary for photosynthesis, an essential work for the sanitary state of the young fruit.

At the beginning of ripening, the green harvesting is done to refine the yield, followed by the harvest in September, with the bunches of grape manually picked and conveyed to the wine storage area using shallow cases so to not damage the fruit. A sorting is carried out before pressing for the whites and vatting for the reds.

We were then shown to the tasting room, starting with a bit of history. At the end of the 19th century, Antonin and his father Jean-Auguste gave birth to Domaine Coursodon. In order to promote their products, Antonin became the ambassador of the Coursodon wines, taking part regularly in the already famous wine fairs of Tain-Tournon, as far back as 1930.

In the 50s Gustave, took over the family business. He started by selling his wine in Paris, sending the barrels by rail to cafes in the capital. At this point Gustave, who was a real character and a very talented man, took up a new challenge: to market his wine in bottles, making Gustave a pioneer.

At the beginning of the 70s, his son Pierre, in turn, came and joined him in the family trade. Understanding that only real quality will ensure the future of the Coursodon wines, Pierre relocated the vines on the plots of slopes previously forsaken in order to make the vineyards easier to work.

Jerome represented the fifth generation of wine growers. He has taken his seat beside his father Pierre since 1998. By working to produce fine and elegant wines, Jerome puts his prints on his vineyards. He enjoys saying that: "It is the sum of small details that makes the difference". If the Coursodon wines are almost impeccable today, this is owed to the concern for always doing the best, which has driven all the generations of Coursodon, from Jean-Auguste to Jerome today.

Afterwards we moved on to the cellars with an introduction of the wine-making process. The whites are softly pressed by pneumatic press, in whole grape, and lasts approximately 3.5 hours, with the juice running out by gravity. Must is cleansed after 12 hours of decanting, at cellar temperature. Alcoholic fermentation is then carried out naturally at 16 degrees Celsius, with different plots vinified separately depending on soil type.

Malolactic fermentation is then carried out in the course of maturing which is done either in vats, or in barrels with weekly batonnages. These two methods make it possible to draw, at the same time, the best from the potential of the structure of the wine, and best of the aromatic richness of the different types of vines, which make the white Saint-Joseph.

For the reds, the picked grapes are cold macerated for approximately a week at 12 degrees Celsius. No yeast is added, and the period of fermentation and maceration is spread out over 3-4 weeks, with 2-3 daily remontages and pigeages. The wines are put in barrels for malolactic fermentation.

Both the white and red wines are matured during one year in cellar, with racking carried out regularly to control the evolution of the wines. We were able to sample a few of the wines in barrels to experience how the wines taste before bottling.

Then going through the range of the wines, I decided to buy a bottle of La Sensonne to bring back home. The 2016 vintage has an intense blackberry and bilberry nose, with toast and vanilla notes from the oak, a good mix of coffee, violet, earth, as well as spicy characters of nutmeg and licorice. There is already some hints of savory development too. On the palate it is of surprising elegance despite the powerful flavors, with good ripe tannin and concentration and a fair length on the finish.