Le Clos des Centenaires invites you to take an intimate look at what makes a wine as conceived by its founding winemaker, Luc Baudet, in the following terms : ‘Wine is the meeting of a place, the plant material that grows and integrates there, and the human intention that guides the action. In 5 wines, we reveal 5 facets that forge the identity of the estate. Each new parcel label illustrates one of these facets, but all the estate’s cuvées are shaped by these 5 elements.

As this order is not hierarchical in nature, we have isolated the natural context factors and their specificity on our terroirs :
– The pebble and clay soils,
– Mediterranean climate,
– and exposure to the sun (east-facing slopes).

We then illustrated the two complementary intelligences that enable human intervention in this context :
– thought, intention (Rodin sculpture “the thinker” for the year 2024), an expression of sensitivity to gastronomy and the desire to serve it, through a certain style
– the gestures of the craftsmen (Rodin sculpture “the hands, the Ark of the Covenant” for 2024), in the vineyard, in the cellar, in the cooperage, who convert the intention into reality through the extraordinary accumulation of skills.

These are 5 major elements which, inseparably, make it possible to produce these great vintages.

In our desire to showcase the multi-stage taste experience that only a true terroir wine can offer, we wanted these labels to be read on different levels, the first more descriptive, the second revealing an intimate element of the terroir, as the wine itself can reveal during careful tasting’.

Grenache VV (old vines): from earth back to earth

‘These vines, set in a soil of pebbles and red clay, produce a fine juice matured in sandstone jars, an earth baked at 1330°C, which allows it to breathe and restore its elegance, roundness and minerality’.
The salinity and sapidity of Grenache juice reflect the very specific terroir of the Villafranchian era, which is an archetypal feature of the region … it is the most common grape variety in the Southern Rhône, revealing the great mineral richness of these ancient soils.

Roussanne VV : bathed by the sea breezes

‘This unique parcel is imbued with the breezes of the Mediterranean: a mild climate transmuted into a velvety texture and sapid flavours, a concentrate of azurean skies.
Although this Roussanne borrows from the Burgundian winemaking tradition, its freshness is a brilliant expression of the Mediterranean breezes, softening the climate of the Southern Rhône with its temperatures borrowed from the sea, and the gentle humidity that refreshes summer nights.

Cinsault VV : the imprint of the sunrise

‘These old vines planted in an east-facing valley on a steep slope enjoy refreshing afternoon shade: the grapes ripen slowly, harvested late, and the juice is delicate and precise, acidic and silky.
The full-east exposure of the estate’s old vines means that the grapes ripen rather late, which is exacerbated by their age. The result is balanced, well-balanced tannin textures and brilliant fruit character, perfectly illustrated here by the Cinsault.

Art’: the hand, the science of the gesture, the benefit of patience

The taste complexity of this cuvée sums up the harmoniously coordinated skills required to bring it to fruition: the gestures of the winemaker, the cellar master, the stave maker and the cooper, all driven by their experience of the fruit, the forest, the vein of oak, the rightness of the juice to be matured, and the necessary allegiance to the time needed at each stage to never rush a result that must be harmonious.
Art’: because wine is a noble craft, inspired by nature