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THE PECHARMANT APPELLATION
• Situated on the outskirts of Bergerac in South West France, the Pécharmant appellation overlooks the Dordogne River and is the oldest wine-making area in the Bergerac region – itself situated in the heart of the Aquitaine – with its origins going back to the eleventh century.
• The incomparable flavor of Pécharmant’s red wine comes from its unusual soil structure known as the “Périgord's sand and gravel” which covers a deep layer of clay shot through with iron, called the “Tran”.
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LES CHEMINS D’ORIENT and CARAVANSERAIL
• Our grape varieties correspond to the Pécharmant appellation regulations and the vineyard is planted with 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec. The blend of these grape varieties is obligatory in a bottle of Pécharmant and produces an intensely aromatic and elegant wine of great typicity and longevity.
• We produce two wines: Les Chemins d’Orient and Caravansérail. They are made from the harvest of our five hectares, half of which are situated in the heart of the hamlet of Pécharmant and half a kilometre further away, high in on the hillsides of La Germanie. Set in the historic heart of the Pécharmant appellation, our vineyard has a siliceous-clay soil, which is sandier in some parcels than in others , making it very favorable to parcel-based selections.
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LES CHEMINS D’ORIENT
We have chosen to name each vintage; each cuvée represents the year’s total production.
| 2000 Cuvée Ariane : |
Our first wine! “Ariane” means “good” in Persian and it sums up this vintage produced in testing acrobatic conditions! A genuine garage wine!
“Cuvée Ariane is already a success of the highest order. It exhibits a fruity intensity with a particular concentration of blackcurrants and blackberries which gives it a frank mouth well-suited to its velvety tannins. If following vintages confirm its success, this micro-property is set to become one of the new benchmarks of Pécharmant.” |
| 2001 Cuvée Oxiane : |
Oxiane is a region in North-East Afghanistan through which flows the river Amou Daria, once called 'Oxius', and where the wealthy foothills of the Pamir are planted with an enchanting abundance of gardens, orchards and vines. A classic vintage in the Pécharmant appellation with a deep, intense colour flecked with lapis lazuli. Awarded 18 out of 20 by “Cuisine et Vins de France” Sept/Oct. 2004.
“A delicious red wine where fruit and spices meet in an oriental symphony. Quite simply an invitation to sin.” |
| 2002 Cuvée Nouria : |
Nouria means ‘full of light’ in Persian. A very accomplished vintage – concentrated, full and rich – which received three stars in the 2005 Hachette Wine Guide, narrowly missing a ‘Coup de Coeur’. “The wine combines overripe fruit, spices and beautifully integrated oak in a highly concentrated nose. The same harmonious oakiness can be found in a lusciously full mouth and tannic finish…” |
| 2003 Cuvée Cyrus : |
The year of the heat wave! A vintage characterized by sunshine and, particularly by the intense heat of late August, early September. The exceptionally high alcohol content -15% - added to the strong tannic structure makes this a vintage with guaranteed longevity. Should you wish to drink a young Cuvée Cyrus, please decant first! Cyrus the First, King of the Persians, represents perfectly the power and the madness of this wine. Awarded 15,5 out of 20 in the “Guide de Référence de la Revue des Vins de France 2008" "A note of freshness in a hot vintage. A concentrated and intense wine." |
| 2004 Cuvée Jacques Fournot : |
A superbly classic vintage for which we were voted Bergerac’s “Wine-maker of the Year”. We wished to honour the late Jacques Fournot, Ingénieur des Arts et Métiers” with this award. Jacques, who died in 2004, spent much of the 60s and 70s in Afghanistan where he led a huge project for the development of agricultural techniques best adapted to the Afghan farmers he so loved. A profoundly humanist man, passionate about wine and vines, he was during all our time in Afghanistan, our confidante, our guide and our friend. |
| 2005 Cuvée Sikandar : |
What could be more obvious than to call this powerful 2005 vintage by the Persian name for Alexander – ‘Sikandar’. It reminds us of an important era in the long history of a country profoundly influenced by many civilizations. This vintage was produced under exceptionally good conditions with grapes of a quality we could only wish for every year. Happy, un-stressed wine-makers that we were that year, we all headed off on holiday as early as 14th July!
Awarded 16,5 out of 20 by the “Guide de Référence de la Revue des Vins de France 2008”.
« An exceptionally flavorsome wine, sufficient unto itself, beautifully well-balanced…» |
| 2006 “Cuvée Hairava” : |
Hairava is the old name for the town of Herat set in the heart of Afghanistan’s Blue Mountains near the Iranian border. Appearing like a mirage to the astonished passing traveller, Herat is bathed in the turquoise of its tiled minarets and the burnished sienna of the rounded domes of its earthen houses. Slowly, the town reveals its treasures, becoming an essential stopping-place, a crossroads, on the Silk Route. The vintage thus baptized merits the prestigious Gold Medal it was awarded at the Paris Concours Général Agricole. |
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CARAVANSERAIL
• In making Caravansérail every year, we wanted to create an easy, supple wine with its emphasis on red fruit but a discrete hint of vanilla adding a degree of complexity. This is a wine capable of expressing the fullness of its character from an early age and its subtle bouquet is highly appreciated by its adepts.
Caravansérail beautifully expresses the range of spices on offer and the festive atmosphere to found in the caravanserai the length of the Silk Route.
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