IGP Côtes Catalanes: Domaine du Clos des Fées 'Vieilles Vignes' Grenache Blanc 2013
This old vine Grenache Blanc (with a splash of Grenache Gris) from elevated vineyards benefits from medium-term bottle-age and large format bottling. It is an ideal match for Catalan dishes – roasted peppers with anchovies and garlic springs to mind.
Acclaimed sommelier turned winemaker Hervé Bizeul has shown the heights that can be reached in this fascinating region and produces a range of exceptional wines from 30 hectares. Made from the oldest vines in the domaine (110 year-old Grenache Blanc) on limestone clay soil at nearly 400m above sea level, this is an approachable yet complex and age-worthy wine showing orchard fruits on the nose and great poise and tension on the palate.
Style | White Wine, Sec, Full-bodied, Non Sparkling |
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Wine Region | Roussillon, Vin de Pays Catalan |
Grape Variety (Cépage) | Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris |
Food & Wine Matching | Pasta, White Fish |
Viticulture | Non-Organic |
Vintage | 2013 |
Cellarage | Drink to 2023. |
Vinification | Hand-harvested bunches are pneumatically pressed at low pressure while fully-stemmed. Fermentation is carried out slowly in stainless-steel tanks for the Grenache Blanc, and old barrels for the Grenache Gris, with regular stirring. Aging on lees for 5 to 8 months. Fining and filtering prior to bottling in the spring. |
Alcohol By Volume (%) | 14 |

Hervé Bizeul
In 1981, while in his early twenties, Hervé Bizeul was acclaimed the Best Young Sommelier in France. In 1998, after a spell in journalism, Hervé transferred his skills and attention to a small parcel of abandoned vines in a corner of the Roussillon that he felt had great potential.
Despite vinifying his first vintage at the back of a friend's cellar, the domaine has gone from strength to strength and two decades later is revered throughout France.
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