Camille Cayran - L'Élégante 2018

Decanter

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

Founded in 1929, the Cairanne cooperative is a major player in the region with its two flagship brands, Camille Cayran for the traditional network and Victor Delauze for mass distribution. In 2020, it merged with the Cave de Sainte Cécile-les-Vignes to become Cave de Cairanne Camille & Cécilia. It now covers more than 1,100 hectares and is expanding its offering with an organic range.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Founded in 1929 in the southern Rhône Valley, the Cairanne cooperative is a model of success. It represents 330 hectares, farmed by fifty-five cooperative members, producing 13,000 hectoliters of wine. In 2014, however, it was selling off its production to large retailers, with a debt of €8 million. 
To get this old lady back on her feet, the winery hired Denis Crespo as director in 2015. With his intimate knowledge of vines and wine, he managed to convince the cooperative members that only quality pays off, by involving them more in the production of the wines. The grapes are harvested when ripe and the vines are now worked on a plot-by-plot basis. In the cellar, he revolutionized the winemaking process by using light sulfiting, with some vintages labeled as sulfur-free to improve the quality of the tannins. 
 His goal: to achieve better balance. Above all, he completely rethought the distribution channel, abandoning large retailers in favor of short supply chains, restaurants, and exports. The wines have made a huge leap in quality. We salute this collective effort, which has yielded significant results in terms of both wine quality and the sustainability of the winegrowers.

Jancis Robinson

James Suckling