Vila Voltaire Je suis tombé par terre Rouge 2019 (750 ml)

25% Carignan, 25% Grenache, 25% Cab Sauvignon, 25% Merlot
Fermentation Stainless steel, Indigenous yeasts
Aging 12 months 
Filter / Fining Filter Paper Plate, no fining
ABV 13.5%
Farming Methods Organic Certified

The 2019 Je Suis Tombé Par Terre represents the estate’s passion for the region by utilizing the combination of grapes and terroir that the land in Languedoc is able to give. Old bush-vine Carignan and Grenache come together with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on sandy limestone soils, and naturally ferment separately in small stainless steel tanks before aging for one year in 300-liter used French oak. The wine is then combined in fairly equal parts to make this unique and robustly complex red blend. Ruby-hued and intensely deep in the nose, this wine is full of forest floor, black fruits, river stones, and hints of wood. In the mouth it is rustic, dark, and brooding, showing the spicy wood while not being ‘oaky’, and loaded with ripe plums, blackberries, and black cherry fruit. A very long and surprisingly fresh finish, this wine will benefit from being open for an hour or two, or poured into a decanter.

This wine takes its name from the famous scene in Les Misérables when the young boy & freedom-fighter Gavroche is killed. He blames Voltaire – ‘Je suis tombé par terre, c’est la faute à Voltaire’

Vila Voltaire is the small personal passion project of winemaking rock star Stéphane Yerle. Stéphane is still a traveling winemaker throughout Europe, and over his career has been the consulting oenologist to both boutique and large production estates; places like Chateau Latour, Chateau Pibarnon, and Famille Fabre to name a few. Although from the Basque region of France, in 2000 he and his wife Cécile decided to buy some land in Languedoc to start a hobby winery that someday could be where they lay their hat – as Languedoc is where Stéphan believes to be the ‘most free’ region for making wine. Having started with just 1.5 hectare, they now farm 12 hectares of land, and since the beginning have worked organically to match their fully organic lifestyle. Nestled near St. Chinian and the Coteaux d’Ensérune, Stéphane works with a variety of grapes to showcase his skills and love for the region and is a leading expert on micro-oxygenation in wine, utilizing many vessels in his cellar to get the most from his grapes: amphora, acacia, French wood, concrete, etc. A true force in the Coteaux, these clean and expressive wines are growing a fan base around the world.

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