Domaine La Soumade

André Roméro is one of our most characterful and talented growers and a favourite. He founded the domaine in 1979 and was joined by his son Frédéric in 1996 on completion of his oenology studies, and by his nephew Régis. Today the estate covers 26 hectares, including a new plot of 2.5 hectares of the finest land in Rasteau – pure ‘Argile bleue’ with 60-year-old vines.

The yields at Soumade are low – around 40 hl/ha for his Côtes du Rhône, 35 hl/ha for the Villages and much less for his super cuvées. All the grapes are picked exclusively by hand.

The blends are mainly Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, the proportions varying a little with each vintage. The grapes receive a cold maceration of around 4 days followed by a cuvaison of some 20 to 30 days depending on the cuvée at a temperature of 32°, coupled with a system of Burgundian pigeage inspired by Clos des Lambrays in Morey-Saint-Denis.

The wine is then matured in cement tanks for one year before spending 6 months in a variety of oak: foudres, demi-muids and barriques. The wines are fined with egg whites but receive no filtration.