Domaine Élodie Balme Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2024

$21.00

Location: France, Rhône

Winemaker: Elodie Balme

Grapes: 75% Grenache, 15% Carignan, 10% Syrah

Soil: Alluvial, sand

Winemaking: Hand harvest. Native yeast fermentation, no acidification. Fermentation followed by a short maturation in concrete tanks.

From us at M&L: Smooth and rich and everything you want in a fuller-bodied red, without sacrificing juiciness and ease in the mouth. We love Élodie!

From the Importer Louis/Dressner: Elodie Balme's beginnings in wine started with sales. But it didn't last very long, and at 19 she quit her job to study viticulture and oenology. As part of her curriculum, she was placed part-time with Marcel Richaud, one of the pioneers of biodynamics in the Southern Rhône. The two quickly became friends, with Marcel's approach to viticulture and winemaking deeply resonating with Elodie. With her new mentor's encouragement, she founded Domaine Elodie Balme at just 23 years old.

Produced with four hectares of vines belonging to her father Bernard, 2006 was Elodie's first vintage. Bernard has been a viticulturist his whole life: starting with approximately four inherited hectares, he progressively acquired new parcels over time (funded by a parallel pépiniériste gig), for a total of 28 hectares, though the surface has since been reduced to 25. Bernard and Elodie work the entirety of the land together as partners, and for years Elodie kept grapes for herself with the rest going to the cave cooperative. She currently vinifies the equivalent of 17 hectares but plans to produce all 25 hectares by the 2023 vintage.

Bernard had always worked conventionally in the vineyard, but much has changed with Elodie's involvement. Over time, she eliminated pesticides and herbicides in the vast majority of the land she vinifies and incorporated organic fertilizers. Some of her harder to work parcels were still being worked chemically with one herbicide and pesticide treatment a year, but even this has stopped, with the estate slated be certified organic by 2024.

In the cellar, a pied de cuve starts the spontaneous fermentation. The wines are then vinified and aged in concrete. No sulfur is added during the fermentation and aging of the wine, but Elodie adds a small dose after blending tanks, as well as a tiny dose at bottling if necessary.

Location: France, Rhône

Winemaker: Elodie Balme

Grapes: 75% Grenache, 15% Carignan, 10% Syrah

Soil: Alluvial, sand

Winemaking: Hand harvest. Native yeast fermentation, no acidification. Fermentation followed by a short maturation in concrete tanks.

From us at M&L: Smooth and rich and everything you want in a fuller-bodied red, without sacrificing juiciness and ease in the mouth. We love Élodie!

From the Importer Louis/Dressner: Elodie Balme's beginnings in wine started with sales. But it didn't last very long, and at 19 she quit her job to study viticulture and oenology. As part of her curriculum, she was placed part-time with Marcel Richaud, one of the pioneers of biodynamics in the Southern Rhône. The two quickly became friends, with Marcel's approach to viticulture and winemaking deeply resonating with Elodie. With her new mentor's encouragement, she founded Domaine Elodie Balme at just 23 years old.

Produced with four hectares of vines belonging to her father Bernard, 2006 was Elodie's first vintage. Bernard has been a viticulturist his whole life: starting with approximately four inherited hectares, he progressively acquired new parcels over time (funded by a parallel pépiniériste gig), for a total of 28 hectares, though the surface has since been reduced to 25. Bernard and Elodie work the entirety of the land together as partners, and for years Elodie kept grapes for herself with the rest going to the cave cooperative. She currently vinifies the equivalent of 17 hectares but plans to produce all 25 hectares by the 2023 vintage.

Bernard had always worked conventionally in the vineyard, but much has changed with Elodie's involvement. Over time, she eliminated pesticides and herbicides in the vast majority of the land she vinifies and incorporated organic fertilizers. Some of her harder to work parcels were still being worked chemically with one herbicide and pesticide treatment a year, but even this has stopped, with the estate slated be certified organic by 2024.

In the cellar, a pied de cuve starts the spontaneous fermentation. The wines are then vinified and aged in concrete. No sulfur is added during the fermentation and aging of the wine, but Elodie adds a small dose after blending tanks, as well as a tiny dose at bottling if necessary.