Château Signac Le Secret 2003

Winery Description

Geographical Location
Located in the northeast of the Gard department on the right bank of the Rhône, the Signac estate is less than an hour from splendid tourist attractions such as the Pont du Gard, Uzès, Nîmes, Avignon, and Orange. The Bastide, on its slight promontory, enjoys an unobstructed view of Mont Ventoux and the ruins of Chateauneuf du Pape. The Dent de Signac watches over its vineyards as a solitary defender, like a proud soldier always standing at attention.


History
The exceptional Château Signac site dates back to 3,000 BC.
The Roman Voltinis tribe occupied this are and began planting vines on the well-exposed mountainside of the Camp de César and Laudun Orsan plateau, which extends up to the residential areas of Signac.
The Romans carried on the planting of the vineyards toward Chusclan, and then the Benedictine monks looked after these vines up until the Revolution.
During the 18th century, convinced of the excellence of the wines produced here, and in order to protect the originality and value of these cuvées, the village of Chusclan prohibited the importation of grapes or wines into the territories which came from other, less-reputable communes.
Thanks to these measures, in the 19th century, the fame of the vineyard became well established: "the commune is renowned for the quality of its wines, which are among the best and justify the reputation they have built in the business".
In 1961, the previous proprietor, Mr. Joannet, transformed the property and increased the area of the vineyard from 4 to 38 hectares.
Since 1989, the Amez-Droz family, along with their associates, has taken over the future of the estate.
Still today, Château Signac is true to its heritage and perpetuates this quest for quality with the same passion.

The Estate
Château Signac is an estate of the Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC.
The entrance to the Château runs right through the vineyard.
Around a square courtyard there are stone buildings with thick walls to protect from the heat of the sun. From here, you can admire the ever-expanding vineyard. This pebbly earth made of clay and sand allows the elegant and productive varietals that these wines are made of to blossom.
Château Signac invites you to enjoy these unique moments, which are manifestations of a terroir that yields exceptional wines.

The Vineyard
The slopes and terraces of the Château Signac vineyard are laid out at the foot of the Dent de Signac on gravely soils. This soil of clay and sand (over thirty-eight hectares) accommodates the varietals that truly characterize the wines of the Rhône Valley: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise.
Facing the sunrise, the rows of vines benefit from the sun’s best rays. Some vines were planted in the 1990s, whereas others, marked by the passing years, have been permeated by the history of the estate for over fifty years. Today the average age of the vines is more than 35 years.
For the purpose of preserving the environment and in order to let the terroir fully express itself, the entire vineyard is worked according to the ideals of integrated farming.
With average outputs of 25 to 30 L/ha, the vines of Signac produce concentrated grapes, which allows for the crafting of high-quality wines that are worthy of being called the best crus of the Rhône Valley.
The harvests are carried out entirely by hand. At the approach of the harvest, a daily monitoring makes it possible to pinpoint the optimal ripeness of each of the parcels of vines. A beautiful story of a high-quality wine can begin...

Main Varietals
Red Wines: Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cournoise.

Spirit
In Signac, the men and women who bring their craftsmanship to the winemaking process have in common their love for the vines and their respect for the soil. They are passionate about the nature around them and the best it has to offer.
True to tradition, the Château Signac team continues the pursuit of perfection in working the vineyard and the winemaking process, and strives to write a new chapter in the history of the Château with simplicity and elegance.
Since 1989, the Amez-Droz family and their associates have not ceased to pursue ways to improve the quality of the wines through the optimization of the encépagement, a stringent mastery of the outputs and vinification methods making it possible to emphasize the specific characteristics of this exceptional terroir.
Their efforts have quickly proven to be fruitful since, year after year, the different cuvées receive medals and distinctions; most recently:

Medals

• Gold medal at the Paris agricultural competition in 2005 and 2006
• Robert Parker gave a 90 point rating to the Terra Amata cuvée
• Coup de coeur from the Hachette guide in 1997 and 2003
• Selected by the Revue des Vins de France and in the Bettane-Desseauve guide
• In Québec, Michel Phaneuf and the Chartier guide annually cite the wines of Signac for their attractive price to quality ratio.
• Exhibition of wines of Orange, gold medal with honors, 2006

Tasting notes

Color: very dense ruby red, deep
A perfect symbiosis of notes of varietal-related fruitiness, with a hot character and a spiciness from the terroir and the nobility of the tannins of old vines.
Nose: very complex, vanillic from the new casks, well supported, lightly toasty, black cherry, prune, currant, spicy note: black pepper and laurel.
Palate: strong, fleshy, strong tannic structure, forest berry jam. Full-bodied in the mouth with a very long finish. A wine with cellaring potential.

Aged in casks.

This wine pairs well with: meat in sauce, game, beef ribs

Serving temperature: to be served at between 16˚C and 18˚C

Vinification

Rhone Valley – AOC Cotes du Rhone Village