Château Del Ranq

A bit of Burgundy in the Cevennes

When the Chablis origins meet a soil located between the Cevennes and the Mediterranean, the result is quite exceptional and fresh Pic Saint Loup. Château Del Ranq is experiencing a new epic thanks to Laure Barthélémy and Sébastien Freychet, who have just settled into the family property.
Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault… hot grape varieties worked with a lot of freshness!

Exceptional soil for Château del Ranq

The adventure of Laure Barthélémy and Sébastien Freychet first began around tasting. Each holder of the National Oenologist Diploma (DNO), they had not left for the management of a farm.
Then it was in 2018 that Sébastien Freychet returned to the family estate, in the Pic-Saint-Loup appellation. They then saved 3.5 hectares of vines in the town of Claret. An acquisition that they wish to immediately turn to organic farming.
In the process, they stop giving their grapes to the cooperative and start designing their own wines. They make the bottle as they say.
Laure Barthélémy and Sébastien Freychet also acquired all the land of Sébastien's family in 2020. They then increased to 14 hectares of vines. Attentive to their soils, also sensitive to the environment, Sébastien's family has already been operating the entire estate in organic farming since 2009. Today, they are in biodynamic conversion. Understanding their land, letting nature speak, and working with the greatest respect for the environment is obvious to the couple. The Château del Ranq located in Claret on the Pic Saint Loup has a magnificent soil. Wedged between the Cévennes and the Mediterranean, the wines are full of freshness despite the hot soils. A continental and Mediterranean climate which mixes, it offers a beautiful maturity to the grapes, it also protects the vines. An ideal playground for this young couple who are experimenting a lot to discover production and winemaking techniques.
The grounds of the castle are composed of limestone and clay. As for the vines, they benefit from the scrubland around them, the bedrock which outcrops in certain places is made up of layers of limestone and marl.

The wines of Château del Ranq

As in the vineyard, Laure Barthélémy and Sébastien Freychet want to be as less interventionist as possible and as respectful as possible of nature. The harvest is carried out by hand, the fermentation is carried out thanks to indigenous yeasts. Each plot is vinified separately, and there is no input, except for a homeopathic dose at bottling, if necessary.
Due to a warm soil, expressive grape varieties (Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache), the young couple still wanted to produce fresh wines, slightly infused wines to keep this fruity side as much as possible.
Laure Barthélémy will highlight her Burgundian touch on white wines, using Chablis methods, to obtain a nice tension.
A large part of the wines are aged in wood, barrels aged at least 5 years. This helps the expression of the Syrah without weighing it down with the woody side.
For the great red or white bottles of Château del Ranq, aging lasts a minimum of 14 months. Conversely, there is the Poucèt 2021, made up of 65% Cinsault and the rest of Grenache. A 100% destemmed bottle, with a short maceration, the vinification was carried out by infusion, and the aging lasted only 8 months in vats. A red wine from Pic-Saint-Loup perfect for sharing a good time with friends. Perhaps a link with the meaning of Poucèt, which means well of water. Thirst-quenching wine!
Château del Ranq also offers a white, the Blanc de Noire 2021. Originality of the wine, it is a 100% Cinsault, red and fruity grape variety. But it is indeed a dry white wine, fruity, with an incredible freshness from Laure Barthélémy. All it takes is a year in barrels on lees to give it a little more character.
The main bottle of Château del Ranq is Le Ribou 2020 in the Pic-Saint-Loup appellation, composed of 60% Syrah and Grenache. This bottle comes from a completely destemmed harvest, it was vinified in fiber vats. There was a 10-day maceration with a slight pumping over per day. The aging of the Le Ribou bottle lasted 14 months in barrels. Southern flavors in the glass, with incredible freshness!
Another one: Rédarès with a perfect blend, 50% Syrah then the other half made up of Grenache and Cinsault. On this plot, Rédarès, was formerly cultivated lavender. The assembly of the grape varieties is carried out in the vatting, on the day of the harvest. The maceration is short, the vinification was carried out in infusion, and there was aging in vats for 8 months. Freshness and soil are expressed wonderfully in this bottle.
Château del Ranq obviously has its own bottle, including the 2020 vintage. This vintage is made from 95% Syrah and a slight touch of Grenache. The vinification was carried out in mille-feuilles, the maceration lasted 3 weeks. The aging took place in Alsatian tuns for 14 months. Here the Syrah keeps all its freshness, it is a robust wine with its notes of spices and fruits.
Wines from the Pic-Saint-Loup appellation seen by two enthusiasts and wine lovers, this gives natural red wines with an explosive freshness for Syrah or even Cinsault, with a Chablisian touch added to the whole. The Château del Ranq is to be followed closely and to have in your cellar.