Permanent protection against oxidation, from harvest to bottling.
Domaine tariquet has made the production of white wines its specialty, whether they are intended for consumption or distillation for the production of armagnac. The estate’s work methods and techniques are designed to create fresh and crisp white wines, the estate’s signature.
The grapes then remain for 8 to 12 hours in thermoregulated pneumatic presses, which allow their temperature to be gradually lowered to preserve the primary aromas of each grape variety. The skin maceration started in the vineyards in the mobile vats continues in the press vat. This avoids the intermediate step of passing through a maceration tank. Again, the goal is to limit the number of times the grapes are handled as every step is a risk of oxidation.
The layout of the cellar that combines maceration and pressing was designed by Yves Grassa. As the grapes remain longer, it was necessary to invest in eight presses to increase our cellar’s capacity to receive the harvest if all eight harvesting machines were working at the same time.
The harvest must take place at the optimal maturity of each parcel. Harvesting too early or too late because we don’t have the space is simply not an option.
Ultimately, it is nature, with all its hazards, that decides. Having the right tools, and enough of them, simply allow us to adapt as best as possible.
We use pneumatic presses so that the juice may be extracted delicately. Limiting the pressure exerted on the grapes better releases the aromatic precursors while avoiding herbaceous and bitter tastes that come from the seeds or crushed skin. The juices then flow gently by gravity into underground tanks Here again, we avoid any unnecessary handling of the juice with a pump, as not to alter its quality.
The temperature of the freshly pressed juices is kept around 6°C so that they can gently settle prior to their initial racking. The objective is to separate the fine lees from the coarse lees responsible for causing vegetal notes (lees are small solid particles from the grapes’ skins), and this process can take anywhere from three to five days. The juices will then sit for two to three weeks on fine lees before starting fermentation.
At Domaine Tariquet it was chosen to keep the thermoregulated tanks outside where the vats are isothermal and independent from one another.
This represents significant energy savings. Indeed, housing tanks in an air-conditioned building would require excessive amount of energy to compensate for the temperature discrepancies between non-insulated vats kept in the same closed space.
There are numerous other advantages to working in this manner. Working this way also avoids the risks of contamination that can result from a confined environment. Natural ventilation, leaching by rain and the effect of UV rays contribute to the natural hygiene of the tanks’ exterior walls and the floors, reducing the usage of water and cleaning products.
The freshly pressed juices sit on fine lees in cold tanks for two to three weeks. Contact with fine lees, for an extended period prior to fermentation, allows the aromatic precursors to be further extracted, and gives structure to the eventual wine.
At the end of this refining stage, the fine lees are allowed to settle naturally by gravity. The clear juice is then racked and transferred to another vat to start its alcoholic fermentation.
Alcoholic fermentation is the process whereby sugars in the grape juice are converted into alcohol with the help of selected yeasts made with leaven prepared at the estate.
It is voluntarily slowed down by temperature control ranging from 9°C at the start of the fermentation to 18°C at the end of the fermentation. This lower temperature protects the aromatic potential of the grapes, a potential that started with our work in the vineyard long before the harvest.
Alcoholic fermentation generally lasts three to four weeks.
Sometimes, depending on the vintage, and for certain wines such as Chardonnay Tête de Cuvée or Dernières Grives, this alcoholic fermentation will partly take place in oak barrels before continuing their ageing in these same barrels.
During this particularly long fermentation, each tank is sampled and tasted three times a day by Armin or Rémy with the cellar master.
At this stage of winemaking, cold is an alternative to the addition of sulphites. It puts the yeast to sleep and naturally stops the fermentation at the desired time.
An efficient refrigeration unit, connected to each tank, has the capacity to lower temperatures very quickly. This cold stop, in just 4 to 6 hours, by bringing the juices to a temperature of around 4°C. It is a very precise tool which works vat by vat, and preserves the expression of the fruit.
Over time, they know each of their vats quite intimately by the tip of their tongues, and the fermentation can then be adjusted depending on the type of wine that is envisioned.
The pleasure of witnessing the fruits express their aromas, an initial preview of the final wines, comes at the price of this meticulous daily work.
At Domaine Tariquet, all our wines are made from grapes grown exclusively at our estate. Once the grapes have been harvested and pressed, their juices fermented, then starts the delicate and meticulous maturing of the wines. A process that will lasts until the bottling.
We choose not to carry out malolactic fermentation (transformation of malic acid into lactic acid) during maturing to optimise the primary aromas of the grapes. The objective here is also to keep the freshness, liveliness, and crispness so characteristic of Domaine Tariquet wines.
This maturing can last from a few months for those which are meant to be enjoyed in their youth, to two, or even three, years for the wines to keep. This really depends on what style of wine is desired.
Most of Domaine Tariquet’s wines are matured in stainless steel tanks as they are neutral containers with zero impact on the wine’s taste. The wines can mature on fine lees for a few weeks (or up to 6 months for our sparkling wine Entracte) in order to bring roundness and aromatic richness. The wines matured in thermoregulated stainless steel tanks are kept at 0°C temperature to preserve their primary aromas.
Some selected wines are aged in oak barrels. Their ageing can be quite short, only two or three months, to bring structure without looking for notes of wood . For others, namely more complex wines like Réserve, and wines to keep like Chardonnay Tête de Cuvée and Dernières Grives, the ageing in oak barrels can last up to twelve months.
We use new barrels, and barrels of one, two, and in some cases three years of age depending on how much tannic structure we are looking to bring to the wines. Be it the age of the barrels, how much of a wine and how long it will mature in them, one must constantly adapt and be unafraid to change their ways with each vintage.
At the estate, we only use lightly toasted barrels, selected for their finesse and subtlety of their grain. This light toasting prevents the wood from flavouring of the wines with overly woody or vanilla aromas.
After their ageing in oak barrels, these wines will then be blended and finish ageing in stainless steel tanks before bottling.
Monday to Saturday
10am to 12pm / 2pm to 6pm
Closed Sunday and public holidays
Domaine Tariquet
32800 Eauze – France
EXCESSIVE USE OF ALCOHOL IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.
