Douzième

IGP Gard | Certified Organic
Handmade wine at Domaine Aubaï Mema
Syrah 95% + Viognier 5%
Generous and subtle

Our homage to the wines of the Côte Rotie, La Douzième is a blend of Syrah with 5% Viognier.The grapes are handpicked , destemmed and vinified together after loading into in temperature – controlled stainless steel tanks, at medium temperature, to pursue a complete vinification with natural yeasts on ly. Once complete after about 25 days, the wine is matured in 400 litre barrels of French oak for 9 months. The objective is to be as gentle as possible throughout, to minimise sulphite use, and to achieve a balance between extraction of fruit and tannins that creates a wine that can last 10 years but immediately has agenerous and subtle mouthfeel.

About the name

When I first started making this wine, the percentage of viognier was a twelfth of the total, about 8%, and with ‘twelfth’ being ‘douzième’ in French, the wine pretty much found its own name. (Somewhat more obliquely, from Côte Rotie we get ‘la côte’ one of whose meanings is ‘rib’ and being a feminine word, led me to Eve, who it is said was created from Adam’s twelfth rib…).

La Douzième 2015:
Alcohol 13.27% – Residual Sugar 0.2 g/l – Acidity 3.1 g/l
GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE GUIDE ABOUT LA DOUZIÈME 2015:

« Fairly deep hue with garnet-brown tints. Vanilla oak, delicate smoke and stewed red and black fruit undertones with pot pourri. The palate is an all-rounder, combining delicate fruit and muscular oak influence. Precise, chiselled tannins. Savoury through to the finish. »

LA DOUZIÈME 2016:
Alcohol 14.73% – Residual Sugar 0.6 g/l – Acidity 2.99 g/l
GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE GUIDE ABOUT LA DOUZIÈME 2016:

« Beautiful, fairly deep ruby. Nose of red berry fruits bordering on jammy with a forest floor tone and liquorice. Medium-bodied palate with more of the same mature aromas. A food-friendly wine at its peak pairing with red meats. »

LA DOUZIÈME 2019:
Alcohol 15% – Residual Sugar 4.9 g/l – Acidity 3.84 g/l
GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE GUIDE ABOUT LA DOUZIÈME 2019:

« Dark-hued with ruby tints. The nose is laden with spices (pepper, liquorice) and jammy strawberry and blackcurrant. The palate is mouth-coating and fleshy with tannins that show a patina. A very fresh wine with very refined aromas enhancing length. A real pleasure. »

LA DOUZIÈME 2020:
Alcohol 14.92% – Residual Sugar 0.88 g/l – Acidity 3.4 g/l
GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE GUIDE ABOUT LA DOUZIÈME 2020:

« Ruby-red with dark purple tints. On the nose, promisingly charming fruit (wild strawberry, blackcurrant) and a floral sensation. The palate shows a smooth feel, seductively rounded weight and fresh, delicate length. A wine in full ascent. »