Famille de Boel France
St. Joseph, Rhône Valley, France
Famille de Boel France is a small family estate owned and run by an enthusiastic and inspired husband/wife team in the high elevations of Saint Joseph. This is a project born from passion, not born from inheriting vineyards or a cellar. Nelly France is from Brittany (France), Arnaud De Boel is from Belgium, and they met in 2009 in New Zealand where their love for food and wine brought them together and quickly found a love for one another. With their two young children Augustin and Margot, the family chooses biodynamic farming and winemaking, and owns vineyards in the Northern Rhone where they live (in Saint Joseph and Cornas), and some land in the Southern Rhone close to the villages of Suze-la-Rousse and Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes. They are completely dedicated to the celebration of how food and wine come together in so many magical occasions, and strive to make wine that is meant for the table, meant to enjoy with friends and family, and meant for all of the Bon Vivants of the world; something they can pass on hopefully for generations to come.
Our Selections
De Boel `Le gras c`est la vie!` IGP Méditerranée Rouge 2021
‘Le gras c’est la vie’ is a showstopper of a wine, with freshness and vivacity, as well as extraordinary value. Coming from a young plot of vines in the southern side of the Rhone Valley, this is a hand-harvested blend of Carignan, Grenache, and Caladoc (a cross between Malbec and Grenache). A delicate touch and a natural fermentation in stainless steel are the key factors that play into this wine’s bright approach, so that even after only a few months time in tank, the finished wine is ready for the bottle and immediate consumption. A bright and brambly nose lead to a palate that is exuberant with red and black fruits, full of spicy texture, and has just the right amount of meaty grip to play well with foods of many kinds or to simply invite the next sip.
De Boel `Assieges` Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2019
The ‘Assiégés’ Cotes-du-Rhone is from a young plot of biodynamically farmed vines that are planted to Grenache, Caladoc, Syrah, and Carignan. The blend makes for an aromatic and elegant expression of the terroir in the estate’s line up of red wines from the Rhone. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel followed by three months of settling in the same vessels. Bottled the following spring. Exuberant aromas of violets, peonies, herbs, and black fruits lead to a dense yet quite supple mouth-feel, full of blackberries, fresh plum, and garrigue, packed with acidity and lengthy soft tannins.
De Boel `je vous Adore` Vaucluse Rose 2022
The ‘Je Vous Adore’ Rosé comes from a small plot of vines planted within the Vaucluse region of the Southern Rhone. This is made entirely from one forty-year-old vineyard of Caladoc (a hybrid crossing of Malbec and Grenache created in the 1950s) which was hand-harvested and then directly pressed from whole clusters for a natural fermentation in stainless steel vats. This a distinctive rosé with a gorgeous pale pink color, and brilliant aromas of young strawberries, white flowers, and wet stones. The palate is balanced and shows bright grapefruit, white-fleshed fruit, a touch of saltiness, and a lovely floral note.