{"product_id":"2023-domaine-du-coulet-no-wine-s-land-liberty","title":"2023 Domaine du Coulet, `No Wine`s Land` - Liberty","description":"\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eA seventh-generation vigneron, Matthieu Barret studied viticulture in Beaune before joining his grandfather in Cornas in 1997. After inheriting a parcel of vines from his grandfather, who used to sell grapes to the local co-operative, Matthieu built up his own domaine and immediately began working the vines organically, producing his first vintage in 2000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eDomaine du Coulet now comprises 11 hectares of vines, planted on steep south\/southeast-facing terraces carved into the granite rock of Cornas. The vine roots are forced to penetrate deep into the granite, leading to small yields and concentrated, powerful wines. The vines are, on average, 40 to 55 years old and certified both organic and biodynamic. Matthieu strongly believes that these viticulture principles allow him to express a sense of place and purity of fruit in the finished wine. Biodiversity and sustainability are two of Matthieu’s main concerns in managing his vineyards. In 2012, he replaced vineyard machinery with mules, horses, and manual labour. He also started to create green spaces around the vineyards to encourage biodiversity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eMatthieu has consistently pursued innovation and minimal intervention in the winery. The domaine’s grapes are harvested by hand before entering the gravity-fed winery, where they are destemmed but not crushed. In 2006, Matthieu decided to use fewer oak barrels in vinification, adopting concrete eggs and diamond-shaped vats to achieve a superior purity of fruit. From the 2017 vintage, he decided to eliminate the use of oak entirely from his winemaking. Both the ‘Brise Cailloux’ and the ‘Billes Noires’ are vinified with indigenous yeasts, with limited punch downs, for around two weeks before gentle pressing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe ‘Brise Cailloux’ uses fruit from the terraced vineyards' mid and lower slopes. It is aged for 18 months, mainly in 20-hectolitre diamond-shaped concrete vats with a small amount in six-hectolitre amphorae. It has an expressive nose of bold red fruits with fennel and white pepper touches. The palate is fresh with cherry and blackberry fruit, structured tannins, and a long mineral finish. The ‘Billes Noires’ is made from a selection of fruit from the highest vineyards, which are drier and more exposed to wind. This, combined with the fact that the topsoil here is shallower, forcing the vines to dig deeper into the granite rock, produces a more concentrated wine. It is aged for 24 months: the first 12 months in eight-year-old 500 and 600-litre demi-muids, followed by 12 months in a mixture of 20-hectolitre diamond-shaped concrete vats and 6-hectolitre egg-shaped concrete vats. This is an intense wine with aromas of black olive, ripe red fruits, and fragrant Provençal herbs on the nose, with an impressive fruit concentration and a mineral freshness on the palate. Matthieu’s ‘No Wine’s Land’ is the latest addition to our list. Aptly named, it is a 100% Syrah sourced from a limestone plateau between Saint-Joseph and Cornas. The area was rejected from the Cornas appellation in 1936, as it did not have granite soils. Aged for 11 months in concrete tanks, it displays excellent purity of fruit and juicy tannins, coupled with hints of black olive and a mineral edge. It deftly expresses Matthieu’s signature style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThis vineyard sits at around 200 metres altitude on the northern edge of Cornas, but its rocky limestone soils fall outside the granite-based criteria for Cornas AOC. Initially considered for Saint-Joseph, the classification was rejected locally, leaving the site designated as Côtes du Rhône—hence the “No Wine’s Land” name. The vines grow on smooth, terraced slopes facing south and south-east, rooted in limestone with small clay veins. Farmed organically and biodynamically, the site is worked entirely by hand, with animal power used for ploughing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe 2023 season began with a favourable spring, bringing enough rain and sunshine to keep mildew pressure low and allowing vineyard work to progress calmly and on schedule. Summer, however, proved exceptionally hot and dry, with less than 20 mm of rain in July and August and two heat spikes above 40°C. Despite the intense conditions, the vines coped remarkably well and entered September in excellent sanitary health, though some crop was lost to berry evaporation. Harvest took place in good conditions, yielding a vibrant, seductive and well-balanced vintage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAll grapes were destemmed but left uncrushed, with fermentation carried out in small concrete vessels, including egg-shaped vats, requiring no temperature control. Indigenous yeasts handled the ferment with no additives or SO₂ used at this stage. Ageing took place in the same concrete vats for 11 months without racking, preserving purity and texture. The wine received only a light filtration before bottling, with a minimal addition of SO₂ to ensure stability.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe 'No Wines Land' opens on a perfumed nose of wild herbs, violets and black cherries. On the palate, vibrant notes of black pepper, bramble and olive are framed by sappy tannins. The finish is refreshing and savoury, with a mineral edge.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56719534850426,"sku":null,"price":25.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/NoWinesLand__250x500_73d09bd6-bdb7-4e04-874e-0c3fbbf62bc5.png?v=1774279333","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2023-domaine-du-coulet-no-wine-s-land-liberty","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}