There 19 products in this category
80
610
20
Danjou-Banessy
This Roboul cuvée exudes lifted fruit aromas in abundance with blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates and also gentle garrigue notes. On the palate it is velvety with curious, beautiful interest. There is a perfect balance between alcohol and acidity and it ends with a striking freshness. It's a marvelous wee wine. Full bottle 1,341 g. Single vineyard. 60% Mourvèdre (20 years old), 40% Grenache (30 years old) on pudding stone, clay, sand and limestone tuffeau. Hand-picked; whole-bunch, spontaneous fermentation; minimal cap work; very gently pressed. Fermented separately because the Mourvèdre ripens so much later than the Grenache. 12 months in old oak barrels of 600, 500 and 400 litres. "If I’d not known what this wine was, and put it to my nose, my first guess would be Pinot Noir, Tasmania. Rosehips. Nectarine skin. Hibiscus tea. Morels. Then, after tasting it, I’d change my mind. I’d wonder if this was Cinsault, one of Alex Milner’s wraith-like beauties, perhaps: the bruised rose petals, the jasmine tea, the taste of prickly pears and dust and pungent-peppery-green at the back of my throat. Then I smell garrigue - cistus, broom heather, wild thyme, the smell of the wind blowing through holm oaks and twisted pines and I am in the south of France. This is the fey child of Roussillon. This is a wine that dances in the thin places". Very Good Value. Tamlyn Currin on jancisrobinson.com 18/20 jancisrobinson.com
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
Natural, biodynamic and vegan. Grenache, Carignan and now (for the first time) Mourvedre from 80 year old vines, Made without filtering or fining. Pale but gorgeous mid red colour. At first on the nose, you are like "What even is that?". Whatever it is, you know that you like it. Elegant, subtle fruit is intermixed with gentle herb, earth and savoury charachters. Deep and wonderful. On the palate the wine is elegant and deep again, but not heavy in the slightest. Ruffled fruit and savoury notes with minerality and real finesse. These wines are like no other from the Roussillon. Outstanding. This is the magnum.
80
610
30
Domaine Gayda
"Gritty, granular, savoury. The sunflower seeds and meadow hay on the nose fold into pear puree and gem squash and roasted marrow on the palate – gentle, comforting, subtle with the warm, rounded, wholesome embrace of roasted white and green squash, a sprinkle of spice, a drizzle of olive oil. But there is also a pickled-jalapeño bite that builds into a salty tang-tempered clamp on the finish." (TC) 17/20 Jancis Robinson, May 2021, Grenache Gris 2018 "Bright straw yellow colour with silvery nuances, the nose offers a beautiful aromatic intensity around elegant fruity notes, white fruits, citrus peel, fresh floral touches and a slightly smoky mineral hint. The mouth is pleasant and pure, marked by a superb tension which brings freshness, saline touches and ample flavours brought by a magnificent aging on lees which prolong the persistence with harmony and elegance. Altogether a beautifully well-balanced wine leaving you with a compelling sensation of freshness." Dominique Laporte, Meilleur Sommelier de France, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommelier. Field selection and picking in small crates – Whole bunch pressing – Light racking – Natural vinification without sulphites in concrete egg tank and 500L barrels. Soil Type: Calcareous clay / Commune: Opoul-Périllos, Roussillon Ageing on full lees for 9 months – Racking off lees for clarification in tank – Bottled at the Domaine.
80
610
30
Domaine Gayda
"Intense with a luminous ruby colour and garnet nuances, the nose reveals elegant notes of ripe black fruits and fresh red fruits, notes of black cherries and raspberry. Complex spicy notes and fine mineral smoky touches, a light and elegant infusion at low temperature. The palate is soft and light, the fruity and gourmet flavours dominate. Mineral and smoky touches bring freshness and highlight beautiful tender and perfectly integrated tannins. The result is balanced with a persistent long finish. " Dominique Laporte, Meilleur Sommelier de France, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommelier De-stemmed harvest - Natural vinification without the addition of sulphur - Very light extraction - Infusion, at low temperature - 15 days maceration before pressing - Only the free-run juice is kept. Soil type: Gneiss. The Commune: Cassagnes, Roussillon Aged in concrete eggs for 9 months.
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
100% Carignan Gris that was raised in older barrels. It offers that classic cold steel-like character I always find in Carignan Gris, as well as plenty of citrus blossom, bright apple fruit - steely and penetrating. A real one-off. Utterly beautiful wine.
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
Made from 100% Cinsault that's from a single site of black shciste in Espira. The vines are 130++ years old. The medium ruby-colored wine has pretty, juicy notes of cherries, dusty spice-box and dried flowers in a medium-bodied, delicious, charming style. Elegant, thrillingly mineral and very long.
80
610
20
Domaine des Soulanes
A verry special wine from ancient plants of two of the rarest and very best vines for Soualnes terroir, Grenache Gris and Carignan Gris. This really does have everything. It's floral, honeyed orchard and citrus fruits added to its sumptuousness, its layers of texture and bright but not too spiky acidity. Very long with great balance and so much interest. Divine stuff that is here in tiny quantities. Published on decanter.com June 2022: Domaine des Soulanes, Vieilles Vignes Blanc, Côtes Catalanes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 2021 90/100 "A lovely, vivacious white, made from Grenache Gris and the rare Carignan Gris. The aromas are forward and pretty, delicately honeyed and floral, with some bruised apple and tangy lemon. I like how the wine feels really textural and pithy in the mouth, with a fresh, herbal acidity". Drinking Window 2022 - 2031
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
100% Grenache from 130+ year old vines. Complex floral aromas. On the palate the fruits, such as raspberry and morello cherry, are crunchy and fresh. There is also a very strong stony/mineral feeling. The finish is long and pure. A vibrant wine.
80
475
90
Domaine Gayda
Chosen for its originality, its exuberance and purity of fruit and characterised by its floral aromas, its roundness and minerality. A wine out of the ordinary, let it surprise you
80
335
24
Dom. des Soulanes
A rare bottling from the cellars at Soulanes of a barrel of fortified Grenache Blanc that was left along for 16 years with no topping up. The wine is amber in colour now. The nose is wild, thrilling and utterly complex. The palate is bright, wild, long and quite brilliant. Here in tiny quantities. Grab now.
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
100% Carignan from 80 year old vines. Complex floral aromas. On the palate the fruits, such as raspberry and morello cherry, are crunchy and fresh. There is also a very strong stony/mineral feeling. The finish is long and pure. A vibrant wine.
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
100% Cinsault from 130+ year old vines. Extraordinary wine.
80
610
10
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
A blend of Genache Blanc, Gris and Noir, from ancient 90 year old vines in the ancient and quite amazing 'C|os des Escounils' that the brothers are developing and working on re-establishing it's other potential vineyard areas. This is beautiful, racy, elegant wine that is softly textured and very ‘modern’ in its freshness and balance.
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
Natural, biodynamic and vegan. Grenache, Carignan and now (for the first time) Mourvedre from 80 year old vines, Made without filtering or fining. Pale but gorgeous mid red colour. At first on the nose, you are like "What even is that?". Whatever it is, you know that you like it. Elegant, subtle fruit is intermixed with gentle herb, earth and savoury charachters. Deep and wonderful. On the palate the wine is elegant and deep again, but not heavy in the slightest. Ruffled fruit and savoury notes with minerality and real finesse. These wines are like no other from the Roussillon. Outstanding. Magnum sized.
80
610
20
Domaine Danjou-Banessy
100% Grenache from 130+ year old vines. Complex floral aromas. On the palate the fruits, such as raspberry and morello cherry, are crunchy and fresh. There is also a very strong stony/mineral feeling. The finish is long and pure. A vibrant wine.
80
475
90
Chateau Rives-Blanques
This is the thoroughbred of the Rives-Blanques stable, and the favourite at the sommelier’s table. La Trilogie is a very special limited-edition blend of the best barrels of handpicked chardonnay, chenin blanc and mauzac from their top fields.
80
335
24
Domaine Comelade
Lionel Comelade produces this stunning wine from ancient vine Macabeu and Grenache Gris grown on amazing black and white schist soil vineyards between Estagel and Latour de France in the Roussillon. Both white grapes were harvested later in the season in 1988 with high sugar levels. The grapes were partially fermented in concrete vats and then neutral brandy was added to stop fermentation and keep natural sweetness in the wine. Then the wine was passed to second use oak barrels and left in the cellar for 32 years before bottling (to order). No ‘topping up’ of the barrels occurred in the 32 years. The wine is tremendous, possibly surpassing the 1987. It is ‘ambre’ in colour. A bright, wild nose with orange rind, orange oil and warm spices. The pallet is thrilling with great complexity and depth with thrilling, wild acidity which really charms. Astonishing and quite unique. The wine is one of the best value fortified wines in the world. 32 years of age, so interesting and delicious. A steal at this price.
80
475
90
Domaine des Trinités
It's here, the 'Coulsh-Rotie". Simon "The Coulsh'" Coulshaw's fabulous take on this iconic wine. "I put this glass of wine to my nose, and had I not been firmly anchored to a chair, would have taken five steps back. The aroma swept me off my feet. Indescribable. Wild. One Thousand and One Nights distilled into a glass. Heady and exotic and riddled with rose petals and spice and coiled with riddles and one sniff of this is poetry and myth and folklore and kitchen table and campfire and someone's cigarette stubbed out at 3 am in lonely finality. Garrigue-spiced aromatics spiral through rock, plant, seed, flower with dazzling complexity. One moment it's rose petals, so delicate you could brush a baby's lips with it; the next it's hot tar, underground angry, rocks shifting deep in the cracks of the earth. This is a velvety, cocoa-dusted, amped-up-then-restrained, dark-horse beauty. Vertical, dark, slub-silk fruit with overtones of tamari and dark chocolate, crushed coffee beans and sweet forest-floor earth. Long and the kind of wine that coils around you slowly, sinuously, sensuously. Worth every penny. You'd pay three times this for a Rhône of this stature". (TC) 18/20 jancisrobinson.com When to drink 2023 - 2035 Published on 29 Nov 2021 Date tasted 29 Nov 2021
80
475
90
Mas Lumen
Final assemblage: 55% Syrah, 35% Carignan & Cinsault and 15% Grenache Noir. Organically grown on schist, basalt and grés (sandstone) that yielded beautifully balanced fruit but at a very low 15 hl per ha. Manual harvest into small caskets. The Syrah and Grenache were both destemmed and vinified separately in 2yr and 5yr old 500l barrels (Saury). The Carignan was vinified on stems and in steel tank. The Cinsault was destemmed and vinified in steel tank. Natural yeast (no inoculated yeast used). Breeding took place in 2yr and 5yr old 500l barrels (Saury) for the Syrah and Grenache, and in steel tank for the Cinsault and Carignan, for a total time of 32 months with no batonnage. Bottled without fining or filtration. Bottled with a very, very low addition of sulphites (no sulphite additions at any point previously). No other additions at all. The wine has interest, complexity and depth, it is beautifully resolved - an elegant and pretty red-fruited wine with delightful freshness and length. With this quality and with the wines age, it’s a very nice offer indeed. The wine was selected (with one of the very highest scores) as one of 80 ‘Coups de Coeur’ by Guide Gault & Millau for the year 2020 Review below - "The colour appears black, intense with purple reflections. The nose presents an elegant maturity with predominantly fruity cherry and blackberry punctuated by spicy notes (pepper, cinnamon). In the mouth, the cherry is very present with other stone fruits (plum, prune). The leather and cocoa prolong a very fresh and digestible finish. The texture is dense and velvety. A complex and racy wine that evolves beautifully without losing its beautiful tension".