L'Aube Côtes du Rhône Village 2022 Domaine Anne Collard

The L'Aube 2022 from Domaine Anne Collard is the flagship cuvée and most ambitious expression of this vineyard born from deep passion and conviction. Its name is poetry in itself: "Cros de l'Aube" is the geographical name of the parcel, blending French and Provençal to evoke the "hollow of dawn" — that suspended moment when the first rays of sunlight illuminate the vineyard in the calm of morning, while the hills of the Saint-Roman abbey still wear their blue haze. An image that captures the softness and depth of this wine from the domaine's oldest vines, made without added sulphites and certified Demeter biodynamic since vintage 2022.

The terroir of Comps

Anne Collard's vineyard is situated in Comps, the southernmost village of the Côtes du Rhône appellation, just six kilometres north of Château Mourgues du Grès, at the confluence of the Rhône and Gardon rivers. This exceptional site is a cool, preserved oasis swept by the mistral, that cold, dry northern wind that naturally cleanses the vines and makes organic and biodynamic viticulture more manageable. The 30 hectares acquired in 2019 spread across steep slopes on very stony, rocky soils rich in water-worn pebbles inherited from Rhône alluvial deposits, which absorb the day's heat and release it gently at night, favouring slow and harmonious grape ripening. The L'Aube cuvée comes from a careful selection of the domaine's oldest vines, Grenache averaging 50 years old, completed with Mourvèdre and Carignan, whose naturally low yields concentrate aromatic expression and depth.

Tasting Profile

The colour is dark and deep, an intense garnet red with violet glints. The nose is frank, expressive and beautifully mature: aromas of dark fruits, wild blackberry, black cherry, blackcurrant, mingle with touches of cinnamon, chocolate and Provençal garrigue. With aeration, the wine opens to notes of liquorice and forest floor that speak to the depth of old vines. On the palate, L'Aube is both warm and structured: the texture is ample and generous, the tannins firm yet wrapped, and natural acidity provides the tension and freshness essential to overall balance. The finish is long, velvety, mineral and slightly saline, a direct signature of Comps' pebble soils. Aged 12 months in concrete vats without new oak or added sulphur, this wine expresses with absolute sincerity the truth of its terroir and old vines.

The Domaine

Anne Collard, who runs Château Mourgues du Grès in Costières de Nîmes with her husband François, has always dreamed of having her own vines in Côtes du Rhône. In 2019, she found the site she was seeking and acquired 30 hectares in Comps. Her son manages the vineyards day to day, and conversion to organic and biodynamic agriculture began immediately, resulting in official Demeter certification from vintage 2022. Vinifications, conducted in the cellars of Mourgues du Grès, are made without sulphites, with spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts, and ageing in non-epoxied concrete vats for approximately 12 months for L'Aube, a resolutely non-interventionist approach that places terroir and fruit first. Awarded a star in the Hachette Guide to Wines for the 2020 vintage, L'Aube is already one of the most convincing expressions of the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation.

Food Pairing

L'Aube will pair beautifully with duck breast with figs, caramelised aubergines with ginger, roasted quail with peaches, lamb shoulder with garrigue herbs or beef tagine with prunes and warm spices. It will also find fine harmony with aged cheeses such as truffle-studded mimolette or characterful dry goat's cheese. Served between 16 and 18°C, with light decanting recommended, it will reveal all the depth and sincerity of its southern old vines.