Created by Benjamin Me Back to the roots After completing his - PDF document

L ’ A r t d e c r é e r Created by Benjamin Meï Back to the roots After completing his training in France (Bourgogne, Languedoc and Saint Emilion) and working abroad for 12 years, in Australia and New-Zealand, but especially in Chile, where he has been trained by Alvaro Espinoza Benjamin MEÏ’s carreer where he became « Chef Winemaker » of the Vina Apaltagua, 1999 : BTS Agriculture School Benjamin came back to his native Provence region In 2015 to join his Mâcon-Davaillé cousin Bernard MEÏ to create the Premium trading company « Provence 2000 : Technician Domaine Wine Maker ». Preignes Le Vieux (Pays d’Oc) For his fjrst vintage, he wanted to propose a high quality product by 2002 : Maître de Chais Château creating Rose Infjnie. He has, in fact, imported a popular practice from LASSEGUE (Saint-Emilion) abroad, that of the «fmying winemaker”. 2003 : Departure for Chile, start HISTORY OF THE ROSE of adventure abroad……… 2009 : Vinifjcation in Australia A tradition, a symbol and New Zealand 2010 : Head Winemaker Vina It is traditional to plant a rosebush at the top of the vine rows to warn Apaltagua (Chile) while trained by the winegrower against the presence of Oïdium, before it spreads in the Alvaro Espinoza, most important vinyard. Rosebushes are still found in some farms. What is more beauti- winemaker in South America ful than the rose – is the symbol of love associated with our wine which 2015 : Return to France. Creation is characterized by its fjnesse and elegance in the pure style of the rosé of Rose Infjnie Wines wine form the Provence. A poem is created especially for this wine. This 2016 : Creation of « Benji » poem is present on all the labels of the Rose Infjnie wines. 2017 : Launch of the range «Création by Benjamin » I will pick the Rose at the foot of the vine And I will offer it to you as a symbol of our infjnite love Rose Infjnie and its terroirs The «fmying winemaker» approach seeks to identify the very best terroirs. Just like a chef who carefully selects the best ingredients for a dish, Ben- jamin MEI has carefully selected the highest altitude vineyards in Pro- vence, as well as partner wineries, in order to produce an exceptionally high quality wine.

The Sainte Victoire terroir The Aix en Provence North terroir This wine region is located east of the town of Aix-En Provence, on the foothills of the Sainte-Victoire moun- In 2016 Benjamin MEÏ created « BENJI », a Coteaux tain. It covers 2,225 hectares of vines, just 11% of the d’ Aix en Provence from a terroir located North of Aix- whole Côtes de Provence appellation. en-Provence in Eguilles, Venelles and Lambesc. This is the coldest terroir of the appellation. It enjoys a continental microclimate and benefjts from Its soil is made of limestone, clay, red standstone with the infmuence of the Mistral, a constant dry wind that gravel. Main grape varieties are Grenache, Cinsault and can be quite strong and therefore protects the vine Vermentino (Rolle) from parasites. The terroir varies in altitude from 300 The South Luberon terroir to 450 m. The soils are very stony and composed pri- marily of limestone, clay and red sandstone. The main Still aiming at creating wines with much freshness, varietals are for rosé: Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. For Benjamin MEÏ widened its range in 2017 with the brand white: Rolle (Vermentino), Ugni Blanc and Clairette. « CREATION BY BENJAMIN ». The Triangle d’Or Terroir It is made of three IGP Méditerranée wines (a Chardon- nay, a Merlot and a Rosé) issued from the foot hills of For his red wine, Benjamin MEÏ has selected within the Mourre Nègre, highest point of the area called the the Côtes de Provence (around 20,000 hectares) the Grand Lubéron. Thanks to their location at an altitude «Triangle d’Or» terroir (just 790 hectares) which lies higher than 400 meters the vineyards benefjt comple- between Cuers, Pierrefeu and Puget-Ville. It enjoys ma- tely from the Mistral efgects. ritime and continental infmuences and high tempera- Soil of limestone and a high percentage of stones. tures in spring and summer. The altitude of the vines Grapes : White wine : 100% Chardonnay /Red wine : is about 400m above sea level. It is composed of three 100% Merlot difgerent soil types: red clay sandstone, pebbles and Rosé blend : Grenache, Syrah, Ugni Blanc. browny-red clay loam. The main varietals are for red wine: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Carignan Some more terroirs and grape varieties still wait to be revealed……..

VINIFICATION, AGEING AND BLENDING Vinifjcation process nation of solid matter) and allow the rosé musts, which are rich in pulp and plant residues, to clarify quickly. We have developed partnerships with the best wine cellars in Provence, all of which are equipped with state Once a clear juice has been extracted, the lees (solid re- of the art vinifjcation facilities: sidues) are fjltered in order to extract intensely aromatic juices. A proportion of the clear juices are «stabulated» -Cold procedures: heat exchangers, cold settling of the in vats at a temperature of 2°C for 5 to 7 days in order musts, use of negative temperatures -Pneumatic press to encourage the development of aromatic precursors with inertia process using inert gas (nitrogen) - Auto- which are essential for the fermentation process. The matic temperature controlled of the vinifjcation vats. musts are then settled before being fermented at low temperatures. This process lasts between 15 to 20 days -Stainless steel and concrete tanks with temperature (between 14 and 16°C) and enables us to preserve the control plates -State of the art pumps with in-line in- future potential of the wine. During the fermentation jection of inert gas -Dissolved oxygen measurement. process, the temperature of the vats is regulated au- tomatically in order to control the exact temperature This process enables us to retain the “strength” of our at which fermentation takes place. It also allows us to Provence wines and conserve their balance and fresh- ensure optimum organoleptic qualities in the wine wi- ness whilst respecting the authenticity of our terroirs. thout putting strain on the yeasts which are very sensi- tive to changes in temperature. White and rose wines The wine is then racked in order to remove the coarse As soon as the grapes arrive at the winery they are fully lees (sediment from the dead yeasts). The wine is aged de-stemmed and gently crushed before being placed in on its fjne lees which involves stirring the lees to give the pneumatic press. the wine volume and length on the palate. The wines are then bottled in early January of the following year The presses are fully closed and protected by nitrogen, in order to preserve their aromas. an inert gas. Once the fruit has been pressed, the juices are separated according to their quality and cooled again in order to facilitate the settling process (elimi-