Collection: Domaine Le Roque des Anges

[Wine named after Angel, grown in 750 million year old schist]

Roc des Anges was founded in February 2001 by husband and wife duo Marjorie and Stéphane Gallé. Marjorie grew up near Côte Rôtie and has been involved with wine since she was a child. She trained with Yves Cuilleron and Pierre Gaillard in the Northern Rhône and then qualified in Montpellier.

The Domaine's name comes from a single Carignan vine planted on a quartz vein. The white soil, surrounded by black schist, is called Roc Blanc, meaning white rock. The angel is the symbol of the quartz vein soil, hence the name Roc des Anges (Rock of Angels).

The vineyard is built on very old schist (750 million years old), a soft, flaky layer of pure clay that has been compressed. The bedrock is less than one metre thick, providing ideal conditions for the vines to establish roots and recover even during the drought and heat that arrives in June.

While most of their wines are aged in concrete vats, aging in wooden barrels can transform a wine from hard and expressionless to soft and expressive, so they use mostly premium barrels from Burgundy (3-5 years old) with some new oak as well.

Although the rule is to "keep it simple," putting it into practice is the most difficult. Observe, taste, wait, and guide the wine in a direction that maximizes the expression of the terroir's characteristics. The conditions required for aging vary depending on the vintage.