Mas d’Alezon and Domaine de Clovallon with Catherine Roque
Catherine Roque is a good friend, and her wine naturally comes into our conversations when we meet, but it had been a while since I had actually seen her for a cellar visit. Wine-loving Norwegian friends provided the excuse and we spent a very congenial morning with Catherine in Faugères, before adjourning up the road to the new bar, the Grands Vins du Terroir. First we had a look round her cellar. On 15th September, Catherine had picked just one plot, some very ripe Grenache which came in at 14.5. Everything else was taking its time to ripen. Catherine now has three eggs, as well as some barrels and a qvevri buried underground. She likes the eggs; they are made of concrete and are very neutral. Stainless steel can give salty notes. And the egg allows for auto-bâtonnage, because of the action of the CO2, meaning that there is always a gentle movement of the wine. The lees feed the wine. She bought her first egg in 2015 and now has two of 9.5 hls and one of 20 hls.
