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Domaine Viret’s Renaissance cuvée blends classic Rhone varietals, namely grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, and carignan, into a stunning expression of both terroir and Viret’s own distinctive methods. Philippe Viret practices a philosophy of farming and winemaking he calls “cosmoculture” described thusly by his US importer Neal Rosenthal:
“Cosmoculture employs knowledge of the earth's energy fields, known as telluric currents, in deciding where to plant, how to plant, when to harvest, and many other viticultural activities, as well as dictating the construction and operation of the winery itself. A well-established if not widely exposed field of inquiry, knowledge of telluric currents informs research into fault zones, ground-water sources (Viret is built atop a large underground spring, in fact), geothermal activity, and many more areas. Insofar as it involves homeopathic vineyard treatments, polycultural principles (Viret encompasses 60 total hectares of which 35 are planted to vines), and attention to lunar cycles, Cosmoculture can be seen as a sort of extension of biodynamics. And, like biodynamics, Cosmoculture involves practices which may seem at first arcane or esoteric but are in fact connected to ancient wisdom-to knowledge humans cultivated and transmitted for millennia before we allowed technology to begin to supplant it. Of course, this would all threaten to become grand eco-philosophical performance art if Philippe's wines were simply ordinary; thankfully, however, they are among the most soulful and evocative wines in the entire region.”
Practicing organic and biodynamic. Blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, and carignan. 45-day maceration, four years in concrete tank. Zero added sulfites. Saint-Maurice-sur-Eygues, southern Cotes du Rhone, France.
Domaine Viret’s Renaissance cuvée blends classic Rhone varietals, namely grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, and carignan, into a stunning expression of both terroir and Viret’s own distinctive methods. Philippe Viret practices a philosophy of farming and winemaking he calls “cosmoculture” described thusly by his US importer Neal Rosenthal:
“Cosmoculture employs knowledge of the earth's energy fields, known as telluric currents, in deciding where to plant, how to plant, when to harvest, and many other viticultural activities, as well as dictating the construction and operation of the winery itself. A well-established if not widely exposed field of inquiry, knowledge of telluric currents informs research into fault zones, ground-water sources (Viret is built atop a large underground spring, in fact), geothermal activity, and many more areas. Insofar as it involves homeopathic vineyard treatments, polycultural principles (Viret encompasses 60 total hectares of which 35 are planted to vines), and attention to lunar cycles, Cosmoculture can be seen as a sort of extension of biodynamics. And, like biodynamics, Cosmoculture involves practices which may seem at first arcane or esoteric but are in fact connected to ancient wisdom-to knowledge humans cultivated and transmitted for millennia before we allowed technology to begin to supplant it. Of course, this would all threaten to become grand eco-philosophical performance art if Philippe's wines were simply ordinary; thankfully, however, they are among the most soulful and evocative wines in the entire region.”
Practicing organic and biodynamic. Blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, and carignan. 45-day maceration, four years in concrete tank. Zero added sulfites. Saint-Maurice-sur-Eygues, southern Cotes du Rhone, France.
