In the heart of our barrel aging cellar for the vintages of our Premium & Prestige approach, we met Jauffrey Canier , our cellar master, to ask him about an emblematic vintage from our high-end selection on our wine list: the Collioure Rouge Premium vintage, which has been around for about twenty years. We asked him about Premium's aging methods to find out what gives this vintage its unique character.

What distinguishes this vintage, which is, for us, rather elitist?

Jauffrey : First of all, our winemakers carefully select 14 hectares of vines for its 4 grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and a little Carignan. These grape varieties are vinified separately before joining the cellar for aging for around 9 months in barrels.

What is the spirit of this vintage?

Jauffrey : It is the alliance of modernity, with its crisp and fruity side, and tradition, with barrel aging which brings all the know-how of Terres des Templiers.

Can we have some details on its development?

Jauffrey : After a passage in a cold room in 30 kg crates for one night, 10 people sort the grapes berry by berry. A small stainless steel vat per day is sorted then put in a vat, for a cold pre-fermentation maceration, at around 5°C for 6 days to extract a maximum of fruit, crunch and deliciousness.
This is followed by a classic maceration and fermentation before everything is poured into new barrels for malolactic fermentation: a finishing fermentation which coats and gives all its sweetness to the wine.
Then, aging on lees for 9 months with a rotating system which resuspends the lees, feeding the wine daily.

What profile do we obtain during tasting?

Jauffrey : When tasting, we obtain a powerful, concentrated wine, but with subtlety. We are looking for power, elegance, modernity and refinement. You will find woody notes and the crunchiness of the fruit, providing immediate pleasure upon delivery of the wine, but also after a short storage period of 2 to 3 years, or even more.

Enjoy your meal everyone!