In the Luberon and Ventoux, Marrenon is a key player. This is due to its size, of course, as this group of cooperative wineries brings together 425 winegrowers working on 3,700 hectares of vineyards. But this respectable size would be nothing without a corporate vision. Marrenon builds its wine ranges based on its supply areas and not the other way around. Like a champagne house, for example, Marrenon’s management teams devise wine styles and personalities and then implement work programmes with winegrowers selected on the basis of their terroir, exposure and vines (grape varieties, age, management, etc.). Viticulture, yields, harvesting patterns and dates, as well as many other details, are monitored by technical managers upstream.
The remuneration of winegrowers is also specific in this context. The end result is clear: each cuvée has its own unique character and the ranges display a strong, high-level identity. We had the opportunity to taste five wines with the experienced Philippe Tolleret, the company’s brilliant director and winemaker. Each wine tells its own story about the potential of this happy valley, enclosed to the north by the immense Mont Ventoux and to the south by the limestone block that forms the Luberon mountains, with numerous vineyards planted on both sides. They bear witness with great purity to the potential of these terroirs with their many assets (geology, sunshine, cool nights, etc.) and to the original personality of the grape varieties (Syrah for the Luberon, Grenache for the Ventoux, Rolle and other Mediterranean varieties for the whites).
Les Belles Échappées, Les Fées Coiffées 2022, Ventoux red
Philippe Tolleret: “Belles Échappées is a cross-cutting range where we offer our interpretation of other Vaucluse appellations such as Gigondas, Côtes du Rhône Plan de Dieu and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The idea quickly arose to also include our Luberon and Ventoux appellations. This cuvée comes from new Syrah plantings, which are already ten to fifteen years old. The vines are well trained and produce grapes with ripe tannins that are not at all harsh. Most of the grapes come from the southern slopes of the Luberon, with plots located at an altitude of 300 metres. Maximum sunshine, with freshness. Ultra-seductive fresh fruit, with notes of blackcurrant and blackberry, without any ageing notes. On the palate, the tannins are precise, silky and light, with no roughness or dryness. A supple, slender and very pure wine, which seduces with its contemporary character, never demonstrative and made to be drunk with pleasure. 90/100
Les Belles Échappées, Les Villages Perchés 2022, Luberon red
Philippe Tolleret: “What is wonderful about the Ventoux appellation are these old Grenache vines that produce chalky wines. It feels like tasting the flavour of limestone. We love these wines for their rich flavour, their slightly weathered character, with notes of fruit syrup, without being jammy.” There is a lot of consistency and a very contemporary philosophy of expression between the two wines in the same collection, even if they are not made from the same grape variety (Syrah in Luberon, Grenache in Ventoux). Its freshness sets it apart from the imitation of solar richness typical of neighbouring wines. Precise tannins, clean flesh and aroma, a delicious and flavourful finish, a wine constructed with just the right amount of velvety smoothness, roundness and richness. 92/100
Grand Marrenon 2023, Luberon red.
Philippe Tolleret: “We select beautiful Syrah vines planted on lovely limestone fragments. For three years now, the producers in this programme have been contracted to follow a specific itinerary. The aim is to comply with a precise yield and a set of specifications, including the steps to be taken. Fifty-three winegrowers participate in the Grand Marrenon programme and thirty-five others in the Orca programme, in the Ventoux appellation. Our technical manager visits each of them from bud break (at the beginning of spring, editor’s note), discusses with the producers, exchanges views on technical practices and their relevance, etc. A classic and ambassador for the appellation, both generous and endowed with a characteristic fruit freshness. We appreciate the balance of a wine that is more powerful and structured than the Luberon Les Villages Perchés. High quality ripe tannins without harshness. 92/100
Orca 2022, Ventoux red
Philippe Tolleret: “These are really old vines. When I arrived about twenty years ago, I was told about one plot: “Look, it’s 100 years old”. It’s still there! The selected vines cover less than 30 hectares, with low yields, so economically it’s a bit complicated. We compensate the producers a lot so that the remuneration per hectare is fair. It’s a heritage issue for us. The new generations of Grenache that we are planting are completely different. Freshness combined with generosity, dense, deep and elongated flesh rather than voluptuous or massive. The complexity of the old Grenache vines produces a flavourful wine with ripe fruit and notes of fine spices and bay leaf. This smooth wine is one of the house’s strong points. 93/100
Doria 2023, Luberon white
Philippe Tolleret: “We have greatly increased our Vermentino plantings, with almost 200 hectares. We supplement this with other white grape varieties that thrive here, often a little Viognier. The idea is to make a wine with a soft texture, without softness or exaggerated aromas. The technical process is rigorous. Night harvesting, gentle pressing of the first juices, stopping at around 0.8 or 1.2 pressure, never beyond, cold settling, fermentation at low temperature, ageing for eight to ten months on lees to allow the wine to develop a little patina. The patina of Vermentino is obvious, with its pleasant freshness and vitality. A fragrant, indulgent wine, without exaggerated ageing, which reveals the potential of a region that has a lot to offer in terms of white wines. 92/100
