Description
Seven generations of the Barge family have been making wine in Ampuis, starting in 1860. Their first bottled wine appeared in 1929 and the domaine is now run by Julien, who took over from his father, Gilles.
Domaine Barge have six hectares in Côte-Rôtie, with three hectares in the lieu-dit ‘Le Combard’ acquired in 2000. After rebuilding the stone terraces, replanting the vines and installing a monorail due to the steepness of the vineyard, the first vintage of ‘Le Combard’ was released in 2007. These steep vineyards require all the grapes to be hand-harvested. As is tradition, Gilles’ Côte-Rôtie contains a little Viognier, with 8% in ‘Le Coeur de Combard’. Fermentation occurs in small, temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks, before the wines are aged in 600-litre oak barrels for 24 months.
Julien decided to create a blend from his parcels of Côte Blonde and Le Combard to produce a Côte-Rôtie that serves as a flagship for this famed appellation. The resulting expression has layers of concentrated black fruit, tapenade and crushed stone, all hallmark signatures of great Côte-Rôtie. The ‘Coeur de Combard’ is a parcel from the single vineyard ‘Le Combard’ and is, to Julien’s knowledge, the only parcel in Côte-Rôtie planted on volcanic soils. The fragrant violet notes, peppery herbs, and a distinct mineral elegance capture the unique character of this parcel.
Fragrant and complex with notes of violets, tea leaves and black pepper framing the dark fruit. The palate is supple and concentrated, with a juicy core of black cherry, fine-grained tannins providing structure, and poised acidity. The finish is long and complex.