Rochecolombe, France — The wilds of the ancient land of southern Ardêche in southern France are filled with unbridled waters, rushing waterfalls, the rugged Cévennes mountains, courtly castles and vestiges of the Gallo-Roman age surrounded by abundant nature, scrublands, fields of lavender, and precious vineyards. The Ardêche Valley is one of the most beautiful in all the land and nestled here is a singular wine cooperative, the 800-member Vignerons Ardéchois producing highly original wines on the 150 acres (60 hectares) estate of its Domaine Terra Noé estate, the Land of Noah. The estate’s name is a tribute to Noah who saved the flora and fauna and planted vine plants upon his return to solid ground according to the Bible. For in addition to producing excellent wines, the estate endeavors to protect the endemic biodiversity of the Ardêche and so is organically farmed and follows the eco-responsible charter of Ardêche Par Nature® organization. Bat-nesting boxes are placed around the vineyards, dry-stone walls have been preserved to provide  shelter for migratory species and the planting of precious hedge rows around the vineyards are among the flora and fauna friendly actions taken by the cooperative. 

The gently sloping landscape of the estate is peppered with a diversity of terroirs (the soils and growing conditions of the land) allowing the cooperative to match the plots to the grape variety. For instance the white grape varieties of Chardonnay and Viognier thrive on the loam-clay soils and draw from them the freshness of their aromas, nicely pronounced aromas while the stony soils of the slopes with their clay-limestone subsoils are excellent for the Syrah and Grenache varieties and are currently presenting a very good potential for the long aging of red wines.  The reds are aged in oak casks while the whites spend their maturing days in wooden tanks. Terra Noé also produces a wonderful rosé wine, fresh and rich at the same time and these rosé wines emanate from grapes grown in the flaky marl soil. And here we are in the glorious south of France where the Mediterranean climate and the sun-exposure of the vines offer optimal conditions for the perfect maturity of the grapes. 

The Terra Noé estate recently brought out a superb smooth and full-bodied wine, Upsilon, made solely with Viognier grapes grown on the sun-drenched southwestern slopes of the Domaine Terra Noé in a clay and limestone soil. This wine was made wth vine plants that are over 30 years old and the estate even has some incredibly rare pre-phylloxera vineyards (prior to the 1850s when the epidemic raged throughout the world destroying vineyards). The wine itself is named for the three-billion-year-old yellow-white binary star Upsilon located in the Andromeda constellation 44 light years from Earth yet visible with the naked eye and which is often used as a guide star. Upsilon, the wine, benefits from the IGP status, IGP being the French acronym for a Protected Geographical Indication. The Gourmet Gazette recent enjoyed it paired with veal shank braised in the Upsilon wine and served with thyme-flavored mashed potatoes and candied carrots and this at the lovely Table de La Bossière restaurant in the Couvent de Vagnas, a former convent converted into a delightful and very quiet hotel and inn nestled into the vineyards and the rugged countryside.

The dinner also offered up a fine opportunity to taste other Terre de Noé wines including a refreshing, richly colored and dynamic rosé with a blend of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the Esprit de Noé Rosé 2022 which was served with local sunny vegetables like eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes with mozzarella and the Vagnas olive oil.  After the veal course local cheeses, difficult to find outside of the Ardêche, even in Paris, were generously paired with a Terra Noé Rouge 2021. A raspberry, coca and white chocolate mille feuille pastry was served with a delightful surprise, the sweet and powerful Coteau Saint-Giraud 2021 from the Vignerons Ardéchois.  Every aspect of the pioneering Terra Noé winery has been carefully thought out and it is tailored according to the plots enabling a separate vinification of each grape variety to mature into its true nature. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. The estate welcomes visitors by appointment: Terra Noé, 230 Route de Saint Germain, Lieu-dit Sauveplantade, 07200 Rochecolombre, France. Tel: + 33 (0)4 75 39 48 15 https://www.terra-noe.com/And for the Hôtel Couvent de Vagnas: https://www.couventvagnas.com/