Véloré
véloré
Made in the Ventoux AOC by winemaker Alexis Valette, who selects parcels by hand and works with growers from vine to cellar. The name combines vélo and or — bicycle and gold — a reference to Mont Ventoux, one of cycling's most famous climbs.
It is all in the name. Véloré combines vélo — bicycle — and ore, gold. Mont Ventoux, the mountain that dominates this appellation at the eastern edge of the Southern Rhône, has been breaking and defining riders since the earliest days of professional cycling. The geography that has challenged so many riders over the decades shapes the wines from this area. Ventoux sits higher and cooler than the flatter appellations to the west, and the altitude gives the whites a freshness that's harder to find elsewhere in the Southern Rhône. The vineyards span three distinct soil types — sandy hillside soils that add lift, a local sandstone-and-sand mix called zaffer on the slopes that builds structure and mineral edge, and stony terraces lower down that drain fast and stress the vines to the great benefit of the grapes they produce.
Winemaker Alexis Valette works with a dedicated group of organic growers across the appellation. His involvement starts well before harvest — selecting parcels, tracking the canopy through the growing season, watching what the year is doing to the fruit. By the time grapes arrive at the winery, he's been tracking them for months. Harvest happens in the early morning when temperatures are still cool. Grapes are chilled on arrival, briefly macerated, then gently pressed and fermented in temperature-controlled concrete tanks. The approach is steady and unhurried — designed to hold the freshness the appellation naturally produces. That level of attention — to place, to grower relationships, to process — is what Véloré is built on.
