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The wines > Brézème

• DOMAINE HELFENBEIN CHARLES
  

  LVT 2009 r Lower Drôme Brézème, pure Syrah wines. An impressive newcomer. Born in Orange, Charles Helfenbein started from zero – his parents had no vineyards. After a bts diploma from Champagne between 2000 and 2002, he studied viticulture at the Lycée of Orange; between 2004 and 2008, he “circulated in France”, spending time in Alsace to learn about white wine, Provence to learn about rosé and the Rhône for red wines – Colombo, Delas and Dard & Ribo. He rented his first vines in time for the 2007 vintage – 4 hectares of Brézème that had been providing crop to the Cave Co-operative de la Valdaine at St Gervais sur Roubion in the lower Drôme. He has bought his own cellar and equipment for the time being. St Julien en Saint Alban in the Ardèche has 60 hectares of vineyards that are allowed to produce Côtes du Rhône, whose crop has previously been sold as bulk wine to the likes of Delas, Alain Voge and Paul Jaboulet Aîné until Helfenbein and also Eric Téxier purchased crop for their own bottlings.

• JEAN-MARIE LOMBARD
  

  LVT 2007 r 2009 wh Brézème is south of Valence, on the east bank of the Rhône. Good terroir. Syrah does well here. Jean-Marie Lombard is the leading grower for these full-bodied Côtes du Rhônes. Vastly improved white wine here in late 2000s.