Domaine Deshenrys, Languedoc France
The Domaine Deshenrys
Soil
The Vines of Domaine Deshenrys are growing on limestone clay soils and
villafrancian terraces that bring out the full expression of their personality.
Grape Varieties
The White Wines are made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Roussanne,
Muscat and Viognier.
Red and Rosé Wines are made from Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah,
Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Petit Verdot.
Vinification
Our wines are vinified by Nicolas and Henry-Ferdinand Bouchard, and then bottled on the Estate itself and stored in an air-conditioned cellar to improve keeping. The maximum
yield is between 50 and 65 hectoliters per hectare.
Henry Ferdinand Bouchard, farming the domaine started by his great-grandfather in the mid-1800s, is attempting just such a program. He is the fourth generation of his family named Henry Bouchard, and when he began estate-bottling all of his domaine's wines some ten years ago, he decided to honor the hard work of his ancestors by naming the estate Domaine Deshenrys. "There are enough companies named Bouchard in the wine business," he says, adding with a mischievous smile, "besides, I wanted to name my son Nicolas!".
Thirteen hectares in the Coteaux de Languedoc planted to 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache, and 47 hectares in the Côtes de Thongue of the Herault Département with 12 different varietals provide the raw materials for his efforts. As we have noted elsewhere, great wines come from great grapes; grapes which come from vines that carry low yields and are picked at optimum ripeness. This is accomplished at Domaine Deshenrys by stringent pruning techniques, limiting yields to an average of 40 hectoliters per hectare in the Coteaux de Languedoc Appellation (maximum legal yield 60 hl/ha), and 50 hl/ha in the Côtes de Thongue (which allows a generous maximum of 80 hl/ha).
The grapes are harvested at night or in the early morning to avoid heat damage and oxidation, and to prevent the onset of too rapid a fermentation. Once in the chais (or cellar) the grapes are sorted on a table de tirage (or sorting table) to eliminate bad fruit, destemmed, crushed and fermented in temperature controlled vats (18ºC for the whites, building to 32ºC for the reds). All of the wines are aged in vat, except the Coteaux de Languedoc, which sees some six months in old oak barrels, and the Faugeres Songe de L'Abbaye, which is, aged for six months in new oak barrels.
The wines show the extra care that the grapes receive at Domaine Deshenrys. The whites are clean, crisp, and well balanced, with superb acidity and none of the flabbiness often found in the region. The reds show amazing concentration and depth, with deep, extracted colors, soft and lush red-black fruits, and a velvety texture neither overly alcoholic nor too tannic. The best wines seem to be the blends rather than the single-varietals, "they speak more of the region, its culture and terroir, the intermingling of influences from Bordeaux and the Rhône," suggests Henry Bouchard, the Fourth. The Alliance Blanc is an exotic blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Muscat Petits Grains, and Sauvignon Blanc, showing white flowers, peach and melon in the nose, with a broad, rich texture and bracing lemon-kiwi acidity to end. The Tradition Rouge consists of 50% Syrah, 30% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and is complex, powerful, with a tarry red-black fruitiness and a hint of smoky tannins. The Coteaux de Languedoc shows all the finesse, depth, and concentration of a mini-Côte Rôtie, with grilled black fruits and a creamy, soft finish.
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