Château Ollieux Romanis - Corbières Alba rosé 2023

Pierre Bories has elevated his family estate to the pinnacle of the Corbières appellation and has managed it masterfully since 2001, demonstrating the same determination and high standards in the vineyards as he does in the winery. Comprising a vast estate of 150 hectares (including the former terroir of Château des Ollieux), located about ten kilometers from Narbonne, the vineyard produces wines of great elegance, ranging from the Prestige cuvée to the Or cuvée, all the way to Atal-sia, produced under the Corbières-Boutenac appellation—undoubtedly one of the estate’s crown jewels. The entire range is of consistent quality, propelling this estate among our favorites in the region; this long-standing consistency more than justifies the third star we have awarded it.

Founded in 1860 in the Boutenac region, this extensive family-owned vineyard—originally a dependency of Fontfroide Abbey—has remained in the same family ever since. As early as 1896, it had a cellar and a barrel room built with stone from the estate’s quarry. Jacqueline and François Bories revived the estate in the 1980s, joined in 2001 by their son Pierre. Cultivated without herbicides or pesticides, the vineyard—currently in the process of converting to organic farming—covers 65 hectares.

Pierre Bories took over this vast family estate, which was expanded in 2006 to include the neighboring vineyard, Les Ollieux. It features a wonderful diversity of terroirs, ranging from clay-limestone and rounded pebbles to the Boutenac terroir (red sandstone and limestone), where the estate has established itself as a must-visit. It is above all the character of the Boutenac wines that captivates us. Almost the entire vineyard is pruned using the goblet method to better protect the grapes. Always brimming with ideas, Pierre has completely renovated the estate and created La Touketa, a dining and tasting area nestled in the heart of the vineyards, open during the season. For the past three years, the winemaker has also been the owner of Château Rives Blanques in Limoux.

Like the Classique Rosé, this wine is exceptionally pure and bursting with fruit, though it is slightly less exuberant. It exhibits a subtle minerality reminiscent of chalk, as well as hints of dried thyme and sage on the finish. Notes of orange, especially on the finish. Graceful.