Forgeron Dubois is a Delibo collaboration with Floris Lemstra, owner of Chateau Canet, a traditional 19th century wine estate, today recognised as one of the leading domains of the Minervois region in the heart of the Languedoc Roussillon. These IGP wines are made to exhibit great varietal character, and quaffability combined with sufficient structure to accompany good food.
The Languedoc is the largest wine growing region in the world with vineyards sweeping inland from its gentle Mediterranean coast to the rugged Pyrenees Mountains. This spectacular landscape is dotted with wine domains. It has 150 miles of coastline with large sandy beaches for summer-time fun and where pink flamingoes spend their winters. Artists have always flocked here; Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, found inspiration in Collioure, one of the typical sleepy villages along the coast.
The vineyards are fund in the cool climate region near Carcassonne. Grapes are harvested at night to avoid any heat damage. Fermentation is in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats of 100 to 200 hectolitres. Unlike many wines of this style, there is no residual sugar, and thus no need to strip the wine of much of its character by excessive filtration or heat treatment.
Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc have a maceration on the skins of about two weeks, and early bottling.
The Syrah rosé is allowed about 24 hours of contact with the skins to obtain sufficient colour before being ‘bled’ off into another vat, where vinification proceeds at around 18°C as for a white wine.