Heliocentric Wines Same River Twice VDF Rouge

Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Same River Twice. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache Noir 80%, Syrah 20%. About: This wine is a fresh take on a classic blend of Grenache Noir with a touch Syrah that expresses aromatic richness of place with fruit purity for freshness and drinkability. It’s made to capture the aromatic richness of … Continue reading Heliocentric Wines Same River Twice VDF Rouge

Les Clos Perdus Côtes Catalanes L’Extrême Blanc

Appellation: IGP Côtes Catalanes. Cuvée: L’Extrême Blanc. Colour: White. Grapes: Grenache gris 70%, Grenache blanc 25%, Grenache noir 5%. About: Paul’s deepest wine, just 900 to 1200 bottles per year, comes from an extraordinary parcel. A surprisingly steep north-facing hillside planted over 100 years ago that struggles to yield even 10 hl/ha. Vines Location: at … Continue reading Les Clos Perdus Côtes Catalanes L’Extrême Blanc

Lundi VDF Rosé

Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Lundi. Colour: Pink. Grapes: Grenache 60%, Cinsault 30%, Syrah 10%. About: more of a pale red, richly flavoured, and quite deeply coloured – especially by comparison with watery pale (and insipid) Côtes de Provence rosés. Remarkable salty acidity balances the deliciously ripe fruit without any cloyingness. It’s named after a … Continue reading Lundi VDF Rosé

Jean-Philippe Padié information posted!

Everything we know about Jean-Philippe Padié’s wines for now has been posted here! Jean-Philippe Padié makes some of most natural, pure, delicate and complex wines in the Roussillon from his biodynamically farmed vines sited on a mosaic of soils in Calce. Each Cuvée is a fabulous adventure.  

Jean-Philippe Padié Petit Taureau VDF

Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Petit Taureau. Colour: Red. Grapes: Carignan Noir, Syrah and Mourvèdre, exact blend depends on the year, see below. About: named after a song by Claude Nougaro from 1967 filled with references to wine, women and song, “Je suis un petit taureau…”. An extraordinary wine that captures the terroir, the Mediterranean, … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Petit Taureau VDF

Jean-Philippe Padié Calice VDF

Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Calice. Colour: Red. Grapes: Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, exact blend depends on the year, see below. About: pale in colour, fresh, light, soft, with a gentle and salty astringency, digestible, this wine is made for easy drinking yet has a very satisfactory depth of fruit, made in Jean-Philippe’s unique fashion … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Calice VDF

Jean-Philippe Padié Tourbillon de la Vie VDF Rouge

Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Tourbillon de la Vie Rouge. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache Noir. About: the Cuvée name means Roundabout of Life, and comes from a song by Jeanne Moreau in the celebrated film Jules et Jim by François Truffaut. The wine is a negociant wine from vineyards Jean-Philippe supervises and has made since … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Tourbillon de la Vie VDF Rouge

Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cuvée: Rouge. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache 85%, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Vaccarèse, around 5% each. About: a classic of the Appellation and an outstanding southern French wine, an outstanding example of Grenache Noir. Every year the wine gets better and fully reflects the vintage. It’s fabulously rich, yet always refreshing and very elegant. Always … Continue reading Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Charvin

Who: Laurent Charvin. What: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône, Rhône. Where: Orange, Vaucluse. When: Since 1850. The Story This small Domaine of 8ha of Châteauneuf and 15ha of Côtes du Rhône produces some of the finest and most elegant wines in the south of France. It’s one of the few estates in the Rhône valley that … Continue reading Charvin

Bois de Boursan information posted!

Everything we know about Bois de Boursan’s wines for now has been posted here! Jean-Paul Versino is one of the few remaining producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to work traditionally: a blend of all terroirs of the Appellation, very old vines, whole bunch fermentation with natural yeasts, minimal intervention and long ageing in foudre. He consistently produces … Continue reading Bois de Boursan information posted!

Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Félix

Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cuvée: des Félix. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache 75%, Mourvèdre 20%, Syrah 5%. About: both of Jean-Paul’s grandfathers were called Felix. He created this blend in 1995. In a blind tasting by collectors of 15 year-old 1998’s (a great year), published in the Wine Advocate in 2013 (but not tasted by Parker), the 1998 … Continue reading Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Félix

Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition

Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cuvée: Tradition. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache Noir 60 to 70% depending on the vintage, Mourvèdre around 10%, Syrah around 10% and all the others notably Cinsault, Counoise, and Vaccarèse. About: the way Châteauneuf-du-Pape used to be. As traditionally made as it gets, and all the more elegant for it. The key elements are … Continue reading Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition

Bois de Boursan

Who: Jean-Paul Versino. What: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône. Where: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vaucluse. When: Since 1955. The Story Jean-Paul Versino is one of the most affable and enthusiastic vignerons we know. He’s also one of the few remaining producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to work traditionally (a blend of all the terroirs of the Appellation, very old vines, whole bunch fermentation … Continue reading Bois de Boursan

Escoda Les Paradetes

Appellation: Vi de Taula. Cuvée: Les Paradetes. Colour: Red. Grapes: based on Grenache Noir and Carignan depending on the vintage, sometimes some Sumoll. About: the most intense and finessed of Joan Ramon’s reds, changing every year with the vintage conditions, a mirror of the year. A badger appears on the label. Vines Location: just north … Continue reading Escoda Les Paradetes

Les Clos Perdus Corbières Prioundo

Appellation: Corbières. Cuvée: Prioundo. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache 80%, Cinsault 20%. About: Prioundo means “the beautiful valley” in the language of Oc, the “langue d’oc”. The wine wears an air of serenity. From a blend more typical of the Rhône than the Corbières, it’s beautifully fresh, floral and digestible. And zero sulphites. Vines Location: in the … Continue reading Les Clos Perdus Corbières Prioundo

Les Clos Perdus Languedoc L’Année Rouge

Appellation: Languedoc. Cuvée: L’Année Rouge. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache 60%, Syrah 30%, Carignan 10%. About: a blend designed to tell the story of the year rather than selected parcels. Yet it always reflects the Clos Perdus style for rich fruit and vibrant energy. From 2018, there’s some purchased fruit, so the wines are released under … Continue reading Les Clos Perdus Languedoc L’Année Rouge

VDF Anima

Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Anima. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache noir, Syrah and Mourvèdre a third each. About: FX Dauré’s second, big red, but still typical of his style for freshness and digestibility. Made by whole bunch carbonic maceration without any extraction. Vines Location: just south of Espira in the Roussillon. Size: 1.5 hectares. Age: … Continue reading VDF Anima

Philippe Badea

Who: Agnes and Philippe Badea What: Vin de France, Southern Rhône Where: Tulette, Drome When: Since 2012 The Story Husband and wife Agnes and Philippe Badea, both natives of Provence, worked at Domaine Jean David for many years, Philippe for nearly twenty years and Agnes continues to work there. Jean David, in Seguret, one of … Continue reading Philippe Badea