As ALLEZ VINS! UK French wine merchants we imported the wines of Domaine la Fourmone and l’Oustau Fauquet for many years,
Madame Combe produces high quality intense wines using traditional techniques from the domaine nestling under the Dentelles mountains.Significantly the wines are not filtered, which enables them to retain all the structure and body of these concentrated, powerful and charming wines. Roger Combe, the patriarch of the domaine, is a real Provencal and a renowned poet in the region. You will find Provencal phrases on the labels. The name “Fourmone” is believed to come from the Latin “Fromentum” (wheat), widely grown in the wide expanses of the Rhône valley.
The domaine is situated just north of the village of Vacqueyras, north of Carpentras in the southern Rhône Valley , and in the lee of the Dentelles de Montmirail – a series of jagged edged hills – see map
You can be assured of a warm welcome to the winery (except in February when they are usually closed).
The southern Rhône is dominated by a wide flat valley floor, which is intensively planted with vines. However, the better wines come from the slopes and hills on the valley sides, where the soils, drainage and aspect produce wines with more character and maturity.
Gigondas (under the label “l’Oustau Fauquet” is a seriously rich heavy wine – “drink with spoon” being one of my tasting notes for a particularly extraordinary vintage. It is in many respects similar to the nearby Chateauneuf-du-Pape AC wines – more info
Vaqueyras is a tad lighter, and is best known for its velvety smoothness overlying a spicy character. ” – more detailed info