Region: Rhône Valley, France

Varietal: 55% Grenache, 18% Syrah, 12% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault, 5% Carignan

Tasting notes: Liberty by La Barroche is a full-bodied wine with good structure, character and tight tannins. Its aromas are reminiscent of juicy, black raspberries, violets, and peppery herbs. It is mellow, yet has good acidity and elegant minerality. Liberty by La Barroche is a gastronomic wine with an ageing potential of several decades.

Producer: Dating back to Alexander Barrot’s aquisition of the land in the 17th century, Christian Barrot inherited his family’s 5 ha (13 acres) estate in 1972 and has since grown it to 15 ha (30 acres) spread throughout the northern region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC. From the start, Christian knew the value of his terroir and focused on selling his wine in bulk to prestigious wine merchants in the northern Côtes du Rhône. In the early 2000s, Christian’s children, Laetitia and Julien, joined the family business and made the decision to estate bottle their own wine. Today, Laetitia handles the marketing and sales, while Julien, who received degrees in enology and business, is winemaker. Julien’s experience working in other wine regions including Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux, Languedoc and Australia contributes unique insights to his family’s estate.

Vineyard and Winemaking: The grapes for Liberty by La Barroche takes their roots in the southernmost part of the Rhône valley, next to Châteauneuf de Gadagne and similar to the Crau plateau in Châteauneuf du Pape. The 50-year-old vines grow on Plio-Quaternary terraces covered with river stones, at an altitude of 125 metres, on sun-drenched hillsides, watered by tributaries of the Rhone and windswept by the Mistral. These old vines are warmed by the thick carpet of large river stones and draw all their nourishment from a mixture of sand and red and blue clay, which keeps them cool, even during the hottest seasons. The picking is entirely by hand, with sorting in the vineyard and again in the cellar. Wine-making in underground concrete vats. Destemming of underripe stalks. The wine stays on the skins for over 4 weeks. Gentle extractions. Aging in old oak casks and 600-liter barrels for approximately 18 months.