The balance between the sun and the freshness of Roussillon wines

Diary #5 of Elise Gaillard, winemaker at Domaine Madeloc : Roussillon is known for being a sunny region almost all year round. However, this climate, which attracts tourists, frightens wine lovers. They imagine heavy, powerful wines, too high in alcohol, good for Parker, but not for opening a second bottle! Yet, Roussillon is surprising, complex, and refined. Elise Gaillard tells us about the balance between Roussillon's blazing sun and the freshness of its wines!

Roussillon: between sunshine and fresh, balanced wines

We're talking about over 300 days of sunshine a year in Roussillon ! That would be a Breton's dream, wouldn't it?! Add to that the daily wind, which certainly clears the clouds, but dries out the soil and crops. Consumers imagine heavy, powerful wines, but are often surprised by the freshness of our white wines and the balance of our reds .

For me, there are several reasons that would explain this freshness and balance in our wines despite the scorching sun we have:

Firstly, there are technical reasons: oenology has provided us with keys to preserving natural acidity in wines (often by not carrying out the second fermentation known as "malolactic" which reduces acidity) and also viticulture has allowed us to balance our vines and therefore the ripeness of our grapes (soil amendment, plowing etc).

But above all, there are natural reasons: first and foremost, the choice of our grape varieties. I'm a great lover of Syrah , due to my Rhône Valley roots, and I've tried to make them as beautiful as those from Côte-Rôtie . Unfortunately, it's not the most suitable grape variety there. Here, Grenache reigns supreme. White, grey, or black, it's found everywhere. It's a grape variety of great finesse (it's often compared to a southern Pinot Noir!), with a lot of elegance and excellent aging potential. I also really like Carignan (white and black), which brings freshness to the blends.

Then there's the great diversity of soils: schist, gneiss, granite, and limestone. Obviously, I have a preference for schist, which is the bedrock of our terroirs across all our estates. It's an exceptional terroir that brings freshness to the wines, because the vines can penetrate deep into the interstices of the rock (or schistosity) and draw from the tiny reserves of water lodged deep within layers of clay. In our latitudes, limestone also contributes a great deal of balance to the wines. Finally, we go from sea level to over 450 meters above sea level, which adds even more complexity to our wines.

So yes, Roussillon is sunny, and the wines can have a high alcohol content, but the terroir, the grape varieties, and the expertise of each winemaker who masters this ripeness result in balanced, refined, and elegant wines. (And yes, I love Roussillon !)

Elise Gaillard (winemaker at Domaine Madeloc )