Dolia 2019, IGP Alpilles Dominique Hauvette | Provence

Dolia du Domaine Hauvette is Dominique Hauvette's great white cuvée. Deeply rooted in her Alpilles terroir, she has shown intelligence by observing her terroir and betting on the fact that Marsanne, Roussanne and Clairette in complantation would evolve at the same ripening speed. The gamble paid off, as for the past twenty-five years, the right ripeness has been reached at the same time, thanks in particular to the Mistral wind, which protects the vines from the heat. The cuvée Dolia was named after the ancient terracotta jars in which the wine was made. Today, after several years' research, Dominique Hauvette is winemaking this cuvée in concrete eggs, much better suited to the terroir of Les Baux de Provence and the local grape varieties.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Domaine Hauvette's cuvée Dolia is the emblematic white of the wine estate, to which Dominique Hauvette devotes a veritable cult. In her own words, it's a wine whose changing profile she loves to discover with each vintage. An indomitable wine, just like her! For this reason, the length of time it is left to rest in the cellar after bottling varies from year to year, ranging from three to ten years if Dominique deems it necessary. The 2019 vintage will have spent six years in the wine estate's cellars before being released.

On the nose, the wine weaves a complex bouquet in which the aromatic layers need plenty of aeration to settle. Scents of wild flowers, lemon leaves, fennel and dry garrigue herbs mingle with superb autolysis notes and petrol accents. After some oxygenation, notes of yellow peach, candied citrus zest, dried fruit and mushrooms complete this impressive wild bouquet.

On the palate, the wine is full-bodied from the outset, with a powerful mineral structure, marked stony aromas and a distinctive tannic feel. The solar imprint of the Saint Rémy de Provence terroir is felt in the sappy stone-fruit aromas, which a finish of remarkably well-adjusted acidity pulls through with magnificent bitters.