l'Anglore - Rosé of Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, Clairette Rose - Tavel, Rhône Valley, FR - 2022

Satellite's Hot Take

Just 6 bottles of this bad dude available. One of the most exciting "rosés" we've ever carried though this borders on a deep yet chillable red expression.

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Viticulture / Vinification • Hand-harvested over a month-long period to capture both the freshness of an early pick (and corresponding low alcohol levels) as well as the complexity and depth of riper fruit • Each parcel is vinified separately • Whole-cluster maceration for 5-10 days in conical oak foudres • No punchdowns or pumpovers • After pressing, fermentation continues with native yeasts • Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally • One small dose of sulfur is added after fermentation at the time of blending • Aged for 8 months in conical oak foudres and concrete tanks • Aged for an additional year in bottle before release • Bottled unfined and unfiltered

Notes on the Producer

Eric Pfifferling founded Domaine de l’Anglore in 2002 when he stopped selling his grapes to Tavel’s cave coopérative to vinify and bottle his own wine. Inspired by the burgeoning natural wine movement, Eric began farming his vineyards, inherited from his grandfather, organically and crafting wines without manipulation or additives save for minute doses of sulfur. Once considered among France’s most prestigious appellations, one of the very first AOCs created in 1936 and famously lauded by Hemingway and several kings, Tavel had lost its luster since the advent of chemical farming and modern enological practices that transformed its wines in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Eric boldly pioneered a return to wines of more traditional character, bottling soulful vins de terroir radiating freshness and perfume. Sons Thibault and Joris joined their father in 2015 and now run the domaine, with Eric always there to offer his wisdom. In the hands of the new generation, l’Anglore remains at the cutting edge of regenerative agriculture and low-intervention winemaking in pursuit of the most authentic, sustainable, and delicious expression of Tavel’s great terroirs. The Pfifferlings farm eighteen hectares in the appellation’s top sites, with holdings split across terroirs of sand, limestone, and silt. These parcels are home to numerous traditional red, white, and pink-skinned grape varieties—co-planted throughout the oldest vineyards—reflecting the practice of blending customary to Mediterranean regions. They care for their vines with herbal treatments and seek to protect vineyard soils, never leaving them bare and opting not to till to preserve soil life. In the cellar, whole-cluster vinifications allow for delicate aromatic infusions yielding uncommonly fresh, fine, and irresistibly fragrant wines that toe the line between rosé and red. The domaine has earned legendary status thanks to Eric’s visionary work, and his tremendous impact has created a ripple effect in Tavel and beyond as the appellation gradually returns to its rightful place among France’s most celebrated growths. The new generation follows right in Eric’s footsteps: l’Anglore continues to both define and redefine Tavel, honoring its traditions and drawing the best from its distinguished terroirs, all while adapting and adjusting to a changing world.

Certified organic by Ecocert in 2002
• Holdings are split into 20 parcels across three terroirs: sables (deep, well-draining Pliocene sand deposits to the southeast of the village), clay-limestone (thin, rocky soils of clay and Barremian limestone fragments called lauzes, west of the village in an area known as Les Vestides), and terres blanches (richer alluvial deposits of white chalky silt)
• Grape varieties are often co-planted, especially amongst old vines, and co-fermented
• Traditional gobelet training
• Soils are never left bare; cover crops and natural mulches are used to protect and add organic matter
• Mechanical work of the soil is kept to a minimum—no tilling, just décavaillonage (light work around the base of the vines in spring to remove competitive grasses)
• Phytotherapy: vines are treated with plant-based remedies
-Kermit Lynch Wine Importer