Wines have been produced in the Côte du Rhône since pre Roman times, and those from the right bank were the favorite wines of kings and the papal community in Avignon at the time of the schism. In the mid 17th century the right-bank district of had issued regulations to govern the quality of its wine and in 1737 the king ordered that casks of wine shipped from the nearby river port of Roquemaure should be branded with the letters CDR to introduce a system of protecting its origin. The rules for its Côte du Rhône thus formed the very early basis of today's nationwide AOC system governed by the INAO. The name was changed to Côtes du Rhône when the left-bank wines were included in the appellation some hundred years later.

In a family, successive generations may sometimes follow the same path, particularly when passion lights the way. This is the case here, on the land of the Domaine des Bouzons, where for 6 generations, a family of passionate grape farmers have held sway over their vineyards. It is a love story passed down from fathers to sons, one that has weathered the tests of time.

Marc Serguier is the proud heir to the Domaine des Bouzons. In his own words, he provides a personal introduction to the place and its soul. His estate is loaded with history, the home where he grew up, and where he shaped his gifts into talent. It is now his turn to continue, along with his wife, the patient process of producing fine wines of character, so that every sip contains some of the family spirit.

Stretching over 30 hectares of vineyards along the banks of the Rhône river in the Gard, the Domaine des Bouzons is centered on a traditional farmhouse built in the 17th Century by Marc's ancestor, on the very spot where, four hundred years ago, a spring of water flowed, and still flows today. The vineyard is planted with vines that in some cases are more than 50 years old. It is situated on hillsides and plateau overlooking the Rhône valley. This land is typical of the South, with a soil of clay and limestone with river-worn pebbles, where the sun is king and the Mistral wind its most faithful ally.

The Domaine des Bouzons is a vineyard that knows how to play on the subtle complementarities of the different grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault. Respect for natural processes and cutting-edge technology are recurrent themes in the Domaine's working philosophy, one that has been developed and enriched over the years.

At the Domaine des Bouzons, Marc has put a lot of care into maturing terroir wines with heady evocative aromas. The wines have good sustained depth of color and hints of fruit and spices surprise the palate. These wines carry the scent of Provence and the sun-drenched banks of the Rhône River.

David Vincent Selection had been searching high and low for Southern Rhone wines that excite our senses and we finally found what we had been looking for.

Domaine des Amouriers is a leading estate in the appellation of Vacqueyras, located at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, just south of the region of Gigondas. It is situated upon a plateau of garrigues, a terroir of very poor soils made of red clay & limestone under smooth, rolled stones reminiscent of Châteauneuf. This poor, rocky land is actually perfectly suited to growing vines, naturally producing lower yields and grapes of great concentration and balance. Four generations of the Chudzikiewicz family have grown grapes here, with the original vineyards being planted in 1928.

Jocelyn Chudzikievicz, an agricultural engineer and oenologist, a worthy heir of his father’s and grandfather’s art, created the renowned Domaine in 1958, developing it until 1997, when he passed away. Today, his great accomplishment is perpetuated by a tradition and a style. Today Domaine des Amouriers consists of 25 hectares, of which eight hectares are planted in A.O.C. Vacqueyras. The blackberry bushes used for the silkworm industry, called mûriers in French, and Amouriers in Provencal, have given the domaine its name.

A very rigorous selection of grapes takes place at harvest, with each varietal being vinified separately. As is traditional, the wines are fermented and aged in separate tanks. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, the Domaine des Amouriers Vacqueyras is a wine of tremendous opulence, viscosity and richness. Vibrant acidity carries the focused blue and red fruit flavors to the front. There is always an abundance of sweet Provençal herb scents and flavors in this wine as well as a distinct earthy nuance towards the finish.

Grape varieties are chosen wisely to make the most of the soils and lands of the Domaine, which are particularly well adapted to winegrowing.

The rich and elaborate aromas of the wines of the Amouriers are the fruit of a scrupulous selection of the vineyard soils, an individual ageing of each grape variety, a traditional winemaking process; the harmonious tannins have been shaped by an ancestral know-how, the wines blended into a vast array of flavors.

If you love Southern Rhone wines, this is a winner!