In the art of winemaking, the saignée (bleeding) method is a master craftsman’s technique. It stands at the crossroads between crafting a full-bodied red wine and a rosé with real character. At Domaine du Père Auguste, we use this technique to sculpt the structure of our cuvées and offer deep aromatic profiles.

A compromise between maceration and pressing

To understand saignée, it must be compared to the two classic methods:

• Direct pressing: Black grapes are pressed immediately to obtain a pale rosé.

• Maceration: The juice is left in contact with the skins to create a red wine.

The saignée method occurs just after the start of maceration. Once the red grapes are placed in the vat, the juice begins to color naturally through contact with the skins. It is at this precise moment, only a few hours after vatting, that we “bleed off” a portion of the juice from the bottom of the tank.

A double benefit for the estate

Why carry out such an operation? Saignée has a major impact on two types of wine simultaneously:

1. For our red wines: natural concentration

By removing a portion of the juice (approximately 10% to 20%), we increase the “skin-to-juice” ratio remaining in the vat. The skins and seeds are then more concentrated relative to the volume of liquid.

• The result: The final red wine gains in color intensity, tannin richness, and structure. It is an ideal technique for producing powerful wines for aging.

2. For our rosé wines: intensity and indulgence

The juice we have “bled off” becomes a Rosé de Saignée. Having spent a short time with the skins, it possesses unique characteristics:

• A sustained hue: It offers a darker color, often ruby or redcurrant, compared to a direct-pressed rosé.

• A rich aromatic profile: These are vinous rosés, with intense notes of ripe red fruits, perfect for accompanying a meal or grilled dishes.

The expertise of Père Auguste

The success of a saignée depends on timing. One must know how to extract the juice at the exact moment when the color is ideal, without extracting too many tannins that would harden the rosé. It is this winemaker’s intuition, passed down from generation to generation, that allows us to balance our cuvées to achieve exactly the desired structure on the palate.

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