France > Rhone > Southern Rhone > Les Cles du Sud
ORGANIC PRACTICES, Sustainable, HVE
The Luberon Massif and adjacent vineyards. Photo credit
maison Marrenon
Located in the town of La Tour d’Aigues, Maison Marrenon is a cooperative of some 400 winegrowing families operating under a Board of Directors and producing an extraordinary range of cuvees from their core territories of Luberon and Ventoux. The Maison owns seven wineries, four to the south of the Luberon Massif, and three to the north.
The cooperative operates according to high-sustainability principles, and many of its members farm organically… so many in fact that the Maison has the capacity to produce 1.2 million bottles of certified organic wines annually.
Founded in 1965, Marrenon are certified as
HVE (High Environmental Value) by the Ministry of Agriculture
A B (Benefit) Corporation by B-Lab, an independent corporate-practices ratings organization
Agri-Confiance (also French Gov’t).
Their 9.000 acres of vineyard are located entirely within the Parc Natural Regional de Luberon, both a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO Global Geopark (and former site of France’s now-dismantled strategic nuclear arsenal). Protecting and nurturing this hotbed of biodiversity is central to Marrenon’s mission.
The stunning village of Gordes in Luberon, said to be France’s most photographed town.
“Marrenon is a key player. This is due to its size, of course, as this group of cooperative wineries brings together 425 winegrowers working on 3,700 hectares of vineyards. But this respectable size would be nothing without a corporate vision. Marrenon builds its wine ranges based on its supply areas and not the other way around. Like a champagne house, Marrenon’s management teams devise wine styles and personalities and then implement work programmes with winegrowers selected on the basis of their terroir, exposure and vines (grape varieties, age, management, etc.).”
Cles du Sud
All wines are produced under the direction of Chief Executive and Head Enologist Philippe Tolleret, who orchestrates production from the Maison’s many tiny plots with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker.
The estate has belonged to Etienne Blanc’s family since 1937. Etienne, who took over winemaking in his father’s Daniel’s death in 1987, is an "all in“ winemaker. From vine training to enology, he does everything himself on his 37-acre, organically farmed estate. Etienne takes pride in three things: protecting the environment, honoring his father's memory, and making wines in mall batch, entirely by hand.
Winemaker Philippe Tolleret
“The terroir, always the terroir! It is the cornerstone of the Marrenon style: elegance and delicacy
”
The wine
Cotes du Rhone “Les Cles du Sud”: This wine is crafted from parcels selected by Tolleret for their ability to produce a juicy, fresh and uncomplicated wine- a perfect intro to the Cotes du Rhone. A blend of 50/50 Grenache and Syrah, night-harvested for better acidity and vinified in stainless to preserve the hard-won fruit. Juicy. Superb.
