The barrels

With the development in the 1990s of its Blend line, Tonnellerie Radoux has introduced the barrel into the world of luxury.

It is its search for perfection that led Radoux to create the Super Fine Blend barrel. It has long been the solution to the toughest oenological challenges thanks to its severe selection and production process.

Only perfect staves coming from the finest French oak with extremely tight grain (less than 1.5mm) are used to make this barrel. At each stage of the process, the barrels are closely examined and immediately rejected if any fault is detected in order to achieve impeccable quality.

Perfect harmony between the wood and the wine

Wood which meets these demanding criteria is rare and a specific purchasing policy is applied in the finest forests: the Super Fine Blend barrel is therefore produced in strictly limited quantities, depending on the availability of the raw material. This is what makes it the most sought after barrel, a worldwide choice among the most prestigious wines.

The Super Fine Blend barrel has a high aromatic potential, with a very slow extraction, and represents a real quality investment for the Cellar Master. It is recommended for wines which are to be aged over long periods and can reveal its potential over several vinification cycles.

The extreme tightness of its grain gives the wine maximum aromatic complexity, progressively released during aging, for a delicate contribution of structure, with fine and supple tannins.

It is the perfect symbol of harmony between the wood and the wine and is the most beautiful vessel to bring the best wines the world over to full maturity.

Sold all over the globe, the Super Fine Blend and Extra Fine X-Blend barrels are the perfect luxury containers for the greatest wines in the world.

Radoux takes its desire for perfection to an even higher level by employing all its Meilleurs Ouvriers de France to create the Extra Fine X-Blend, an ultra premium barrel meant for the best wines of the world.

The Extra Fine X-Blend barrel is Tonnellerie Radoux’s great pride, and is the symbol of the perfect harmony between wine and wood. It is the ultimately rare product, which generously releases its richness, complexity and finesse over long periods of aging.

Extra Fine X-Blend is a Work of Art, a combination of patience, savoir faire and absolute precision. Its ambition is to take the most noble of the world’s wines to their highest level.

Extreme tightness of grain

With millimeter precision, each stave is individually inspected with utmost care before being selected. The extreme tightness of the grain guarantees a great aromatic complexity. There is no room for compromise here, and only one to two hundred numbered barrels come out of the Radoux workshop.

Radoux’s new Omega barrel is the result of years researching wood, toast and its interaction with wine. It combines all the skills of Radoux’s research and production teams with the support of wine experts, renowned consultants, technical directors and international winemakers.

Great care in the selection of raw material and natural maturation for over three years.

The wood comes from a subtle blend of oak from the most prestigious French forests. The rough staves dry naturally in the open air for three years and only tight grain staves are selected.

Omega benefits from Radoux’s technological innovation OakScan®, which enables the staves to be instantaneously selected according to their polyphenolic index. This process enables us to finetune the selection of wood and favour the choice of moderate polyphenolic indices so as to obtain a perfect balance of the potential of the wood (a tannin and lactone content that is neither too high nor too low). Thanks to the combination of OakScan® and wood maturation of over three years, Radoux is able to guarantee a homogeneous level of ellagitannins and wood that is perfectly suited to the oenological objectives.

Pure : a specially adapted toast

Radoux has developed a specific toast for the Omega barrel to promote the bond and integration of wood and grape tannins. Thanks to a thermal action on tannins in matured and seasoned wood, a gentle and long heating process preserves the sweetness of the wood while allowing the wine to acquire volume and texture. In this way, the quality of the raw material is fully respected and the wine is enhanced.

Respect of the fruit and character

Tasting reveals that the Omega barrel gives emphasis to the fruit, with a balance between roundness, volume, tension and length on the palate. The tannins are soft, expressing freshness, elegance and finesse. The complexity of the aromas highlights the expression of the fruit, while respecting its origin.

Adding color and aromas

For spirits and brandies, time and patience are the key to perfect aging, the slow result of a harmonious exchange between the wood, the liquid and the air. It is during this basic stage of aging in barrel that a spirit gains in color and becomes rich in aromas. The cooper’s know-how and the rigorous selection of the wood, bring out the best in your products.

Our cooperage is situated in Jonzac, in the heart of the cognac vineyard. We have always specialized in the making of barrels for spirits and our strength comes from being in the right place. Our signature as Charentais master cooper is recognized the world over. Today our customers include the main Cognac houses and we are present on the main spirits markets: Cognac, Armagnac, Grappa, Brandy …

A quality of wood adapted to spirits

For barrels to be used for aging spirits, we use mainly oak coming from the finest Limousin forests and from the Center of France. The selection of the wood is essential in order to bring the right amber color and bouquet to your brandies.

The quality of these so called “wide grain” woods is recognized as being ideal and traditionally used for brandies. Being less porous, they allow for controlled oxidation and limit evaporation, which is referred to here as “the angels’ share”.

We also offer a range of “fine grain” barrels which result in a richer range of aromas but less tannins. This selection gives a different but interesting result: a brandy which has more complex aromas, but with a more golden rather than amber color.

Toasting range

With our expertise in the area of toasting for barrels for the aging of spirits, adapted to the requirements of our French and overseas customers, we can offer three types of toast :

• The Spirit Heavy toast rapidly brings an amber color, aromas of mocha, licorice, roasted almonds, and subtle notes of vanilla.
• The Spirit Medium and Medium Plus toasts give less color and more complex vanilla aromas which will express themselves more over time. They are suited to a longer aging period.

• Spirit Pure toast brings even less color and enriches the spirits with delicate oak notes, spices and lactones.

Our barrels are available in several sizes: 300 liters, 350 liters, 400 liters, 500 liters.

VICTORIA is the historic brand of the Radoux group specialized in the manufacture of American oak barrels. It has established itself as the European leader in its market segment thanks to the quality of its products. It carries out a strict selection of batches of white oak in Missouri, the region renowned for the quality of its forest in the USA, and a maturation of 2 years (3 years only upon reservation).

Victoria specializes in the manufacture of 225 liter and 300 liter barrels, and offers a wide range of specific toasts. Fully integrated into the Radoux group, it benefits from the latter’s savoir faire and has made its mark through the very high quality of its products and services. Its philosophy: “Guaranteeing customer satisfaction” can be seen through every phase, from the oenological choices up to the final tasting in the cellars, and the various stages of production and logistics.