The Nidolères estate in Tresserre has been a family-owned winemaking operation for eight generations. Concurrently, Pierre Escudie and his wife Martine have also run a successful restaurant here for the last 15 years. (Here the dishes embrace the family's traditional wines, particularly the garlic and olive oil infused creations typical of Catalan cooking).
Located in the south of France very close to the Spanish border, the estate is situated on quaternary stone, clay and sand terraces. Their low-yielding land hugs the Pyreneen foothills at the southwestern tip of Asprès, never yielding more than 40 hectoliters per hectare. The property lies near the Tech River, with uninterrupted vineyard stretching over 50 acres, 25 of which are classified in the following AOC's: Rivesaltes, Muscat de Rivesaltes and Côtes du Roussillon.
Planting is comprised of classic Mediterranean grape varieties: Mourvèdre, Syrah and Carignan yield robust and spicy red wines; Grenache and Muscat d’Alexandrie result in exceptional, naturally sweet wines full of honey aromas and citrus fruits. The vines are ploughed and tended in the traditional gobelet method, and pruned to two buds. Harvesting is done by hand. Winemaker Pierre Escudie vinifies each parcel separately, in a traditional manner with an extended, three week maceration followed by aging purely in vat. The wines are estate-bottled.
La Raphaelle Côtes du Roussillon 2007
80% Mourvèdre- 10% Carignan - 10% Gremache
Wine Spectator - 90 points
"Deep, rich and well-articulated flavors of damson plum, dark cherry, mocha and smoke fill this powerful red. Finishes with luscious dark chocolate, spice and smoke notes that are ripe and long. Best from 2010 through 2014. 500 cases made."
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