Domaine Fondugues Pradugues in Ramatuelle

Today I was back in St. Tropez for a sundowner aperitif and wine tasting at the Domaine Fondugues Pradugues..

Nestled at the foot of the village of Ramatuelle it stretches over 18 HA of terrain. The Domaine belongs to a very old family of vine growers who choose to settle here in 1964. For over 6 years, the family has been committed to protecting the biodiversity by working with the animals on the property, and respecting the land does have a direct effect on the quality of the grapes.

So Stephen Roberts says “wine is made on the vine”.

All production is strictly organic and biodynamic agriculture. Tasting these wines you feel what Stephen and his Team are saying and what they are growing and producing here. Exceptional wines from Provence done for super reasonable prices in connection with nature and the environment.

For over 6 years, the family has been committed to protecting the biodiversity by working with the animals on the property

Under the shade of wonderfull pine trees of the estate they run a wine tasting truck pop-up “L’Ephémère” which welcomes you from May until September for an aperitif of the rosé and red wines accompanied by gourmet tapas and small plates as I had today like super delicious shrimps scewers, little salad and a homemade berry crumble which I had no where better before.

Joshua in his element of explaining the wine and the food.

Quite exceptional is that all wines feature labels which provide all the details of like the year produced, how harvested, provenance, from within the vineyard, grape varieties and percentages and number of bottles per vintage.

The red ”Equinox”is afull-bodied wine, its nose reveals continually evolving and intense aromas structured around the dominant Cabernet Sauvignon, which then give way to the intense spice of Syrah and finished with a touch of Grenache to remind us that we are in Provence!  Given time to breathe, Equinox reveals itself further. Supple tannins appear, bringing delicate dimensions of jammy red fruit to the palate, with hints of bing cherry, raspberry and blackberry.  This interplay of aromas culminates on a smoky note of tobacco leaves, pot roast juice and grilled almonds.  A wine to be kept as long as you can before drinking, it’s worth the wait! This almost Bordeaux like wine is made of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% of Sirah and 8% of Grenache grapes and was elevated for 12 month in French oak barrels as well as in Temperature controlled stainless steel tanks

The “Rouge d’été”is the new experiment in producing young reds that is super lovely to drink as we say down here “ un vin de soif”.  Turns out this red has some character as well!  This red was made with indigenous yeasts and no added SO2 means that it’s as natural as wines come.  A brief elevage in aged oak barrels added a hint of toasted walnuts.  The young Cinsault blocks (Verger 2015!) and Syrah from Pradugue jardin (2014!) bring a surprising amount of sophistication with notes of summer berries and a vibrant violet color.This légere red is made of 84% Cinsault grapes and 16% of Sirah and elevated for 4 month in French oak barrels.

"Eau de rosé" the flagship has found it’s formula, now including our oldest blocks of Cinsault grapes that provide a sturdy base accented by the neighboring blocks of young Grenache. We added our first harvest of young Chardonnay grapes to the Vermentino grapes for florals, citrus and complexity.  Ample rainfall provided us with the perfect conditions for early harvest, quick fermentations and very light alcohol content. An absolut must have for the Summer 2019. It is made of Cinsault 48%, Grenache 32%, Rolle 15%, Chardonnay 5% and has a Nose of Fresh almonds, Mango, Rosebuds and in the Mouth Citrus (lemon), Litchi, Lively peach.

And last but not least the fuller-bodied “Eau De Source”sophisticated rosé made from noble grape varietals has light aromas of red summer fruits and citrus. Perfect for food pairings it is at first lush and lively on the palate with a subtile finish of anismade out of Cinsault 61%, Mourvedre 39% grapes

Stephen Roberts dreamed of making high quality wines in the Provence since he was moving to France in 1999.

The only I can add to this dream "well dreamed and keep on rocking the Provence" with one of the best wines I ever drunk down here. This wines will definitely be in my cellar from now on.

Cheers and thank you Stephen and Joshua for the Wednesday sundowner Aperitif under the pine trees, playing a round of Pétangue.

Domaine Fondugues-Pradugues

7677 Route des Plages, 83350 Ramatuelle

www.fondugues.com Tel. +33 4 94 79 09 77