Wines

Discover a rare gem. It’s not every day that you come across a pure carignan wine from low-yield 100-year-old vines grown on the distinct terroir of a limestone plateau. Hand harvested, organic, and biodynamic, this medium-bodied wine is a real crowd-pleaser. Concentrated notes of red fruit meld with licorice and spice to create an incredibly silky and refined finish. Rich in umami and with an approachable earthiness.

94 Points! The 2019 Château d'Aussières is blended from 52% Syrah with 20% carbonically macerated Carignan, 19% Mourvèdre and 9% Grenache. It’s another dark red wine with harmonious, complex aromas which combine blackcurrant fruit (typical, says the Aussières consultant Matthieu Dubernet, of Fontfroide Syrah) with wildflower and hillside pine forest scents. The palate is surprisingly light and elegant with a sense of proportion and harmony; there’s no shortage of fruit density, though. It’s a more approachable wine at this stage than the 2018. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! Blackcurrants, slate, crushed stone and berries with hints of chocolate. Medium-bodied, bright and racy. Vivid at the end. A blend of syrah, carignan, mourvedre and grenache. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Plenty of graceful black and red fruits, this is an impressively balanced wine from a warm vintage. Turmeric and smoked cumin kick things off, emphasing tight tannins that will soften over the next few years, before everything opens through the mid palate to show a burst of baked raspberry, incense and rosemary spices, orange peel, plenty of juice. First time for the 167ha Domaine d'Aussières on the Place (or rather not in exclusivity with DBR Lafite). Director Jean de Roquefeuille (ex Rieussec), working alongside the group winemaker Olivier Tregoat. - Jane Anson, inside Bordeaux 

This is 100% Grenache from 50-year-old vines planted in black schist and marl soils. The grapes are harvested by hand, the yield is a very low 23 hl/ha, and the wines are fermented under temperature-controlled conditions. Think about what you’d pay for some California vintner’s ‘limited’ Grenache (probably $30-40) and realize that this refined little gem sells for less than $20. Aged for 12 months in concrete, there’s a rich mouthfeel but sense of precision and purity to the mineral-laced cherry fruit, rose petal and earth tones. Round texture, loads of personality and complexity for this kind of price, the 2020 was a Wine Advocate 93 (this 2021 just arrived and is as yet unreviewed) so you know we are talking serious juice at a not so serious price.

94 Points! Mostly Chardonnay, the 2020 Limoux Blanc is a terrific white that has real class in its aromatics as well as texture. Light gold-hued, with a great nose of poached pears, honeyed citrus, crushed stone, toasted hazelnuts, and white flowers, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness that carries terrific mid-palate depth, bright, racy, yet brilliantly integrated acidity, and a crisp, clean, lengthy finish that brings an undeniable sense of salinity. A seriously good white, it deserves 2-3 years of bottle age (it needs a decant if drinking any time soon) and will evolve for over a decade. Bravo. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! This has very pretty energy and focus with sliced melon, pears, stone and fresh ginger. Dried flowers. Citrus, too. Medium-bodied with a solid density of fruit with white peaches and honey. Tangy and flavorful. Drink or hold. - James Suckling.com

92 Points! Aromas of ripe fruit with fresh herbs and green walnuts that follow through to a full body, round and velvety tannins and decadent fruit. Delicious finish. A fascinating wine now that has evolved beautifully. Drink now. - jamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The red from this estate is also more than notable. Based on Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep ruby/plum color of the 2020 Limoux is followed by classic Bordeaux-like aromatics of ripe darker cherries, smoked tobacco, damp earth, and cedar pencil, with some background chocolaty oak nicely integrated. Reminding me of a Pomerol from a ripe vintage, it holds onto rock-solid purity of fruit, has a seamless mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. This head-turning red from the south of France is one of those beauties that will shock you in a blind tasting. It should keep for at least a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Lots of blackberries, dark chocolate, stone, and hazelnut. Lots of purple fruits. Full-bodied with polished tannins and a smoky, meaty and fruity finish. Very solid. Merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and malbec. Drink after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

Best Cinsault ever? From the importer: Rarely does Cinsault get its due. It certainly shows up in small percentages in various French Mediterranean reds and frequently in higher percentages in many rosés, but seldom does it take the stage solo. Farradjales is made from 70-year-old Cinsault planted on a west-facing hillside at an elevation of 400m and on gravelly marl and limestone soils. In the hands of Brunnhilde Claux this already expressive and aromatic variety shines with velvety red fruits and winsome spice notes perfectly nurtured by her hands-off approach in the cellar.

A house fave! Hand harvested Rosé made by saignee. 90% Grenache Gris, 5% Carignan, 5% Mourvèdre on silica, clay and limestone (gravelly with large galets, or rounded stones).

94 Points! A juicy and transparent grenache noir with aromas of strawberries, cherries, stones, iodine and some spices, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins. It’s crunchy and full of vitality and energy on the palate. Vertical and not hiding anything with a precise, vibrant finish with some peppery notes. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

From the importer: An even blend of Syrah and Grenache, La Tour Vieille’s rosé from the seaport town of Collioure shows some of the structure and complexity we love in our rosés from the south of France while retaining a freshness and elegance that makes it a great pairing for grilled fish or mushroom pasta.

80% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache, 10% Carignan, schist hillside soils...

70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. The Grenache grapes are aged in stainless steel vats for 18 months, while the Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes are aged in 500L oak barrels for the same period. The wine is blended just before bottling.

97 Points! A sweet stunner made from Grenache Noir and 10% Carignan, both from a schist terroir, the NM Banyuls Reserva is a stunning, multi-layered, and hugely age-worthy wine, with notes of cherry, candied strawberry, ripe mango, dried apricot, prunes, and dates. Light and delicate, with a seamless balance between sweetness and acidity, it adds some mocha, cigar, and smoky notes, transporting the senses right into an old New York jazz club. Tender, modern, and nostalgic at the same time. Wow. Drink 2025-2050. - Birte Jantzen, jebdunnuck.com

A bouquet of ripe black and red fruits, the wine palate is full-bodied. It has a soft attack, but the sharp tannins that are drawn out in the aftertaste give it a perfect balance of “fullness and freshness.” This is a gourmet wine that maintains its presence when accompanying a spicy meal and also complements the most delicate of dishes.

Mourvèdre (15%), Syrah (25%), Grenache (60%) De-stemmed harvest, classic vinification with mid-fermentation pigeage and temperature-controlled fermentation (12 days).

One of the most compelling dessert wines I've ever tasted from this area...a must-try!

1/3 Grenache, 1/3 Mourvèdre, 1/3 Syrah

This cuvée is the result of a partnership with half a dozen winemakers from neighboring villages who also
practice organic agriculture like Olivier, or who are transitioning to organic. All native yeats, all concrete tank...ethereal, transparent, pure, delicious!

Located between Millau and Montpellier in the Hérault region, the Pas de l'Escalette is the highest elevation vineytard in the zone of Larzac. Vines planted on limestone scree, surrounded by low dry-stone walls and clapas (piles of stones). The altitude, the deep and draining clay-limestone soils, the cool climate of these valleys; all meet up to produce wines with arichness, freshness and verticality very specific to this terroir. Grenache and carignan for the majority of the blends, syrah and cinsault, mostly matured in larger oak vats.