The talented young winemakers of the Vallon des Glauges estate
They are on an exceptional site in Provence and intend to make the most of it. Romain Baehni and Lorraine Oddo joined forces at the Vallon des Glauges estate , first and foremost to produce the wine they love, but also to develop a genuine project centered around the estate and rosé wine, the emblem of the region. A young couple brimming with ambition, passion, and determination. An enthusiasm that makes all success possible. Romain and Lorraine tell us about their rosé adventure in Provence.
Romain and Lorraine: the synergy of an association
Romain and Lorraine are both in their thirties; he is the son of a winemaker in the provinces, knows the wine business and the region; she is a novice in oenology, discovers the world of wine with enthusiasm and intends to learn quickly in order to develop the estate.
Romain arrived at the estate 10 years ago: “ I am the estate's oenologist, an agricultural engineer and oenologist. I took over the estate 10 years ago. I come from a family of winegrowers going back three generations. When the family estate was sold, I looked for and took over the Vallon des Glauges estate .”
Lorraine moved in more recently: "The young man, for his part, was looking for a fresh start: " We reached a point where we needed new energy. I met Lorraine and we decided to partner up. "
Between the two passionate young people, their motivations and their energies, the association is a real success: " It is essential to be two, in the contribution of energy, ideas and motivation. It takes several to carry out an ambitious project like ours ," notes Romain.
The project is undoubtedly ambitious.
Romain and Lorraine combine their passion for the Vallon des Glauges estate.
They not only share a passion for wine; wonder at the craft, enthusiasm for the work, and delight in the result are the ingredients of a recipe that can only succeed.
“ I’ve always been passionate about the many facets of winemaking: from planting the vines to bottling the wine for a customer to taste, it’s fascinating. Each year becomes an exciting adventure where we write the story of the vintage. It’s incredibly engaging and very rewarding to be a part of this journey through time. We plant vines that will remain in production for years; and each year, we harvest the fruits of our labor. On the other hand, we nurture the passion for our wine by tasting and promoting our products to consumers. It’s a process of self-reflection, a work on ourselves and on our vineyard. Everything comes together and makes the profession truly fascinating ,” the young winemaker confides.
"I love what happens between the time you start winemaking and the time you distribute your product. It's exceptionally enriching and stimulating ," adds Lorraine.
Youth and passion bring an exceptional amount of energy, renewal, modernity, and a boost of dynamism to the wine industry in Provence: " I've seen the evolution of rosé wines over the generations, and I think we have a very interesting opportunity here. Today, rosé is a product that has found its market. Many of us young winemakers are investing heavily in the rosé sector in Provence: time, money, and energy. We believe in its development. We want to develop the region's flagship products ," say the young, pragmatic, and determined managers.
Our favorite wines from the estate:
The Vallon des Glauges estate: " Here, the word terroir has meaning ."
“It’s a place of unique beauty,” Lorraine begins. “ It’s an area I didn’t know at all. I just happened to arrive here and I was blown away by the power of the landscape ,” the winemaker recalls, “ it’s like nothing else. It has a very strong and unique character .”
When Romain describes his terroir, we are convinced of its uniqueness and exceptional nature. Such a terroir can only produce good wines.
“ Geologically, we have a very strong history here. From the very first moment, you can't miss that something special is happening. Here, the word terroir has real meaning. We're in an environment that allows us to grow vines with character. Whatever we do in winemaking, we'll certainly have wines that can be diametrically opposed, but they will always share the same underlying structure. Our wines are recognizable because they allow the identity of their terroir to express itself. We can never erase the character of the terroir ,” explains Romain. And that's a good thing!
An exceptional terroir, combined with meticulous and rigorous work undertaken over the past 10 years to identify plots and grape varieties, allows Romain and Lorraine to produce diverse wines that reflect the terroir. That is precisely the goal.
Thanks to rigorous work in the vineyards, Romain and Lorraine produce high-quality terroir wines.
“ We did a lot of micro-vinifications to identify which plots we wanted to turn into red or rosé. This work allowed us to make a qualitative identification of the plots,” explains Romain.
A range of wines to suit all tastes, with rosé taking center stage.
The wine ranges are complete, although the flagship wine of the estate remains, of course, a rosé, traditional to Provence.
" The Tradition rosé is our best-selling cuvée ," notes Romain. " It's a very pale rosé, feminine in its presentation, very delicate. It's very versatile and can be enjoyed as an aperitif or with what I would call Mediterranean cuisine. "
Even the Réserve des Opies rosé, made from old-vine Syrah and Grenache grapes and aged in oak barrels, presents a very different profile. " The idea is to maintain a refined and taut rosé. The barrel imparts a touch of sweetness, but we opted for a very light toasting. This wine is more tannic than the previous one and boasts a beautiful complexity. It's a table rosé that is highly prized by fine dining restaurants ," the winemaker emphasizes.
White, rosé and red! For all tastes, all palates, all desires and whims.
The selection process begins at the plot level, as with the Réserve des Opies Rouge cuvée , as Romain explains: “ The Réserve des Opies red is much more concentrated. It’s a wine for aging with an extremely interesting quality of tannins. The vines grow on terroirs of rolled pebbles. They are 60 years old and have very low yields. This is what guarantees the concentration in the wine. ”
Romain and Lorraine have many plans for the Vallon des Glauges estate.
With such enthusiasm, Romain and Lorraine are eager to express their ambitions, projects, and development plans. Naturally, in such an exceptional location, wine tourism is a key activity. It will attract consumers to the estate and foster connections. They also plan to develop the new sparkling wine , expand into export markets, and partner with local restaurants, hotels, and cafes.
Furthermore, the young winemakers intend to continue developing the estate and perhaps even discover new vintages, as the winemaking process, vintages, and tastings progress… The adventure has only just begun!
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