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Domaine Richeaume

Provence seems to be a magnet to outsiders, and Domaine Richeaume is yet another example of this. Like Chateau Revelette, Domaine Richeaume is run by a German, in this case Henning Hoesch, who started here in 1972. He started out with just 2 hectares of vines surrounding a traditional mas, and over the decades this has grown to more than 25 hectares. Henning has now yielded control to his son, Sylvain, who has studied oenology in California and Australia.

Hoesch, a cello-playing history professor, was one of Provence's earliest exponents of organic viticulture, and there has always been a strong ethos of respect for the vineyard here. The vines sit on south-facing terraces on the Massif de Cenges. Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah dominate, with a little Cinsaut and also some white grapes; Sauvignon Blanc, Clairette and Rolle. These are fashioned into several cuvées, including the Tradition, a blend of approximately equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, as well as a varietal Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. A second blend, also Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, Cuvée Columelle, is named after Columelle, a Roman author who wrote on oenology. The flagship wine is Les Terrasses, another varietal Syrah. There are also two white cuvées. (4/4/05)

Contact details:
Address: 13114 Puyloubier
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 42 66 31 27
Fax: +33 (0) 4 42 66 30 59

Domaine Richeaume - Tasting Notes

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Domaine Richeaume Syrah (Côtes de Provence) 1998: Surprisingly it is three years since I opened a bottle of this, and I know in the interim I gave one away as a gift. A good rich hue here, not a lot of maturity showing, this is deep and well pigmented. The nose is delicious, enticing, complex and deep, with smoke and hot embers, savoury fruit, twigs and more. This is very impressive, and the quality is maintained on the palate, which has a perfect balance; substance, flesh, a ripe tannic backbone and a great acidity. It persists, broadens, and shows more delicate complexity here, with notes of flowers, violets and more. Delicious sappy finish, this is really excellent wine and I am very sorry this is the last of my bottles - and that I gave one away! From my 1998 vintage Ten Years On tasting. 18/20 (November 2008)

Domaine Richeaume Syrah (Côtes de Provence) 1998: Good colour. Smoky nose. Plump fruit. Less floral/stony/ elegant than another recent tasting, but I think those aromas take time to open out. Showing more meaty character, and a little rubbery. Full. There is elegance on the palate. Great depth of grippy, meaty fruit, but with a stony, firm streak. Very good. 17+/20 (May 2005)

Domaine Richeaume Syrah (Côtes de Provence) 1998: Maturing, but with good colour. Mineral, slightly earthy, stony-smoky, perfumed fruit. What a beautiful, captivating nose. Lovely depth of fruit on entry, with fine, ripe, grippy tannins through the midpalate. Great balance, elegant fruit, with a little sweet, rounded extract. Very fine, with just a twist of caramel that will fade with time. Wonderfully put together wine that will improve over the next two to three years. 17.5+/20 (April 2005) Label