Duclaux
Benjamin and David Duclaux represent the fourth generation of a family of winemakers who started their business in 1928, when their great-grandfather Frederic Caillet acquired the estate. Their father Edmond was the true protagonist of the development towards a quality-driven management until he handed over the reins of the company in 1994. The Domaine now extends over just over 5 hectares in the territory of the municipality of Tupin-et-Semons, in the Rhône department: the terroir is that of the renowned Côte-Rôtie. Over the years, the new owners have gradually refined the style of the wines produced, reaching peaks of remarkable delicacy and elegance.
The Domaine Benjamin and David Duclaux is located within the subzone known as Côte-Blonde, the southern sector of Côte-Rôtie, in the northern section of the Rhône valley and on its right bank: the plots of land are clinging to the steep slopes overlooking the river, with south and southeast exposure, average slopessteep and altitudes ranging from 200 to 300 meters above sea level. The cultivation of vines can only take place on the narrow terraces, requiring constant maintenance of the kilometer-long dry stone walls whose origin dates back to the time of the Roman conquest. The plantings have a very high density, around 10,000 vines per hectare and each individual plant is supported by its own wooden stake: the pruning system is generally the bush vine, with some rows managed as simple guyot. The varieties are those that are absolutely typical and indigenous to the Côte du Rhône: Syrah dominates the scene, while the white grape Viognier is used for only one label, in the denomination Condrieu. The average age of the vines is between 25 and 30 years, with some old vines of 60, and all new plantings come from mass selection. The soil is essentially made up of gneiss, the metamorphic rock rich in minerals like quartz, often surfacing and with the characteristic color that gives the area its name. Also peculiar is the climatic trend, which has now completely abandoned the Mediterranean influence to become distinctly semi-continental, defined by the cold and often violent breath of the Mistral.
Those of Domaine Duclaux are absolutely traditional creations aimed at highlighting the terroir of origin, vinifying normally by single parcels. The harvests are necessarily carried out by hand and the grapes are mostly destemmed, with spontaneous fermentations in steel and aging in used French oak barrels and to a minimal extent new.
Benjamin and David Duclaux represent the fourth generation of a family of winemakers who started their business in 1928, when their great-grandfather Frederic Caillet acquired the estate. Their father Edmond was the true protagonist of the development towards a quality-driven management until he handed over the reins of the company in 1994. The Domaine now extends over just over 5 hectares in the territory of the municipality of Tupin-et-Semons, in the Rhône department: the terroir is that of the renowned Côte-Rôtie. Over the years, the new owners have gradually refined the style of the wines produced, reaching peaks of remarkable delicacy and elegance.
The Domaine Benjamin and David Duclaux is located within the subzone known as Côte-Blonde, the southern sector of Côte-Rôtie, in the northern section of the Rhône valley and on its right bank: the plots of land are clinging to the steep slopes overlooking the river, with south and southeast exposure, average slopessteep and altitudes ranging from 200 to 300 meters above sea level. The cultivation of vines can only take place on the narrow terraces, requiring constant maintenance of the kilometer-long dry stone walls whose origin dates back to the time of the Roman conquest. The plantings have a very high density, around 10,000 vines per hectare and each individual plant is supported by its own wooden stake: the pruning system is generally the bush vine, with some rows managed as simple guyot. The varieties are those that are absolutely typical and indigenous to the Côte du Rhône: Syrah dominates the scene, while the white grape Viognier is used for only one label, in the denomination Condrieu. The average age of the vines is between 25 and 30 years, with some old vines of 60, and all new plantings come from mass selection. The soil is essentially made up of gneiss, the metamorphic rock rich in minerals like quartz, often surfacing and with the characteristic color that gives the area its name. Also peculiar is the climatic trend, which has now completely abandoned the Mediterranean influence to become distinctly semi-continental, defined by the cold and often violent breath of the Mistral.
Those of Domaine Duclaux are absolutely traditional creations aimed at highlighting the terroir of origin, vinifying normally by single parcels. The harvests are necessarily carried out by hand and the grapes are mostly destemmed, with spontaneous fermentations in steel and aging in used French oak barrels and to a minimal extent new.
