Cuvée from the “Thomas” plot located on the Plateau de Vallongue, a terroir of rolled pebbles on a clay-limestone base.
Manual harvesting in boxes, vatting whole bunches, carbonic maceration, pressing, fermentation and aging on lees, sub-draw for bottling…
All the mechanical actions, transfer, pressing, and bottling are carried out using equipment that does not require electricity, but a lot of elbow grease!!!
(vertical “ratchet” press, gravity action for transfers, a rudimentary “four spouts” for setting)

This Tavel, unfiltered, zero sulfur has a fairly high co2 rate allowing it protection against oxidation as well as certain durability.

A few minutes are needed (or even decanting) to reveal all the subtleties of this natural wine.

After 20 years of managing the family vineyards and bringing fruit to the local cooperative, Alexandre, at the age of 40 decided to start making some wine on his own.

In 2019 he buys a parcel outside of the family holding and starts the adventure of the Domaine Alexandre Hote. Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah on Galets roulés, those big round rocks often found in the nearby Chateauneuf du Pape AOC, on top of clay-limestone subsoil.

Alexandre is a dedicated vigneron, spending most of his time in the vineyards, but his approach to winemaking isn't a second thought. For years he had been experimenting in his garage making tiny amounts of wine.

The process is quite simple. A small vertical press, a couple stainless steel tanks, and half a dozen barriques parked in the small chai he built behind his house.

His parcel(s) are certified organic or in conversion, using only bouillie bordelaise as treatments, he brings in healthy fruit by the level of ripeness, starts macerations and fermentations separately, and starts tasting meticulously until the final blend comes to mind. Every vintage brings its nuances and experiments, some varieties will be macerated longer, some will be pressed slower, and some will spend some time in barriques, very little is set in Alexandre's young estate.

The few rules are more ethical than philosophical. He bottles his Tavel "nature", with no addition of so2, works with gravity, and bottles everything himself with the help of his wife