Dominique Derain

Now that Dominique has retired and handed over the responsibility for making the Domaine Derain wines to Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab, he has time to dabble in winemaking wherever he likes.

This freedom has seen him making wines in both Chile and the Roussillon recently. As you could expect with the talented Dominique, these are no ordinary wines. They are made with his normal attention to detail and his understanding of all aspects of winemaking that made him such a huge figure in the natural wine scene for so long.

We only have a few of the Chile wines left and we have sold out of his Roussillon collaboration.

Tutti Frutti Ananas – Dominique Derain D’rain, D’rain 2018

Drain-Drain-2018

This year we also have a tiny quantity of a unique wine vinified by Dominique Derain with Tutti Frutti Ananas, itself a collaboration between a group of winemakers based in Banyuls-sur-Mer, and working from Les 9 Caves, one of the most treasured natural wine addresses in the south of France.

Called Dr’ain Dr’ain, it’s a juicy blend, mainly of Grenache with a little Syrah. The vines grow in schist soil on the vertiginous slopes behind the popular tourist village of Collioure. This wine was vinified at 9 Caves and then taken back to Saint Aubin where it was bottled.

This is one of the benefits of his retirement.

RRP: $80 (SOLD OUT)

Dominique Derain Chile Las Nubes 2019

Derain-Las-Nubes

The grapes for Las Nubes were manually harvested at night to retain acidity, whereupon Dominique did a saignée of the grapes destemming 60% with the remainder whole bunches.

Transferred to a concrete tank, the wine was macerated with skins overnight, whereupon 7hl of juice was drawn off. The natural ferment proceeded in a cement egg, then free-run juice and the press juice were blended and transferred to 40-hectolitre stainless steel vat with adjustable lids, and containing an air chamber, where the wine subsequently spent a further three months ageing and completing its alcoholic fermentation.

11% alcohol for this delightful and light-as-air Pinot Noir.

RRP: SOLD OUT

Tutti Frutti Ananas – Dominique Derain Entre Peaux 2021

After selling his stake in Domaine Derain to Julien Altaber and Carol Schwarz, Dominique now dabbles in the production of some interesting wines that he makes in the Roussillon and Chile.

This one is a skin contact wine made from Muscat à Petits Grains where the skins have been subject to maceration for a short few days to extract that unmistakable Muscat aroma and flavour.

It is a fascinating wine that is well-worth trying!

RRP: $82 (SOLD OUT)