Up until 2014, the lovely wines of Jean-Philippe Padié from Calce in the Roussillon were designated Appellation Cotes du Roussillon in 2014. From 2015, Padié’s wines all became designated Vin de France. Naturally, a friend asked why so. It’s a good question. And indeed, my friend could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps Padié’s wines … Continue reading What does Vin de France really mean?
Almost everything we know about Valentin Valles’s wines for now has been posted here! Valentin makes some of the most original and natural wines in the Rhône. He worked for a several years at L’Anglore. His own wines have a wonderful lightness of touch, sense of fun and play about them, as well as great balance … Continue reading Valentin Valles information posted!
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Déjà. Colour: Red. Grapes: Syrah. About: Déjà means “already” and it refers to Valentin’s interesting method here to bottle the wine very young then release it only after several months ageing in bottle. It’s the same Syrah as the Voilà (or “there you go”) that will continue to age in … Continue reading Déjà Vin de France
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
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.
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Le Pacha. Colour: Red. Grapes: Carignan. About: this Cuvée and Gibraltar were born in 2014 out of the old Ciel Liquide Cuvée that is no more since 2012. It’s a great decision born of Jean-Philippe’s long, careful work in the vines to grow beautiful fruit. The Cuvée name is inspired … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Le Pacha VDF
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Gibraltar. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache Noir. About: this Cuvée and Pacha were born in 2014 out of the old Ciel Liquide Cuvée that is no more since 2012. It’s a great decision born of Jean-Philippe’s long, careful work in the vines to grow beautiful fruit. Gibraltar represents the celestial side … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Gibraltar 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
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
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Milouise. Colour: White. Grapes: Grenache Gris 80%, with the rest Macabeu, Grenache Blanc, Carignan Blanc, Clairette, Tourbat, Muscat à Petits Grains and d’Alexandrie. About: Milouise is Jean-Philippe’s top white made from the oldest vines of the Domaine, all co-planted, very limited production. It’s named after the grand-parents, Milou and Louise. … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Milouise VDF
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Fleur de Cailloux. Colour: White. Grapes: Grenache Blanc 50%, Macabeu 40%, and Grenache Gris 10%. About: called the “flower of stones” this complex and mineral white expresses spectacular freshness, and delicious stone fruits, for only 12.5%. Vines Location: from several parcels near Calce. Size ha: 5. Age: vines planted in … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Fleur de Cailloux VDF
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
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Tourbillon de la Vie Blanc. Colour: White. Grapes: Macabeu. About: the Cuvée name means Roundabout of Life, and comes from a song, a waltz, 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 … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié Tourbillon de la Vie VDF Blanc
Who: Jean-Philippe Padié. What: Vin de France, Roussillon. Where: Calce, Pyrenées-Orientales. When: Since 2003. The Story Jean-Philippe Padié has been quietly making some of the finest natural wine in the Roussillon since 2003. He moved to Calce nearly 20 years ago to work with Gauby for a couple of years and then founded his own … Continue reading Jean-Philippe Padié
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
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Contre-Attaque. Colour: Red. Grapes: Mourvèdre 80%, Carignan 20%. About: FX Dauré’s first red, typical of his style all about freshness and lightness – although he generously admits to slightly over-dosing the sulfites, that’s to say adding more than he wished and intended, as a result of mis-reading the analysis. Such … Continue reading VDF Contre-Attaque
Appellation: Vin de France Cuvée: Luminescence Colour: White Grapes: Muscat a Petit Grain, Muscat d’Alexandrie, et Macabeu About: FX Dauré’s first, and for now only, white is deliciously light in alcohol at under 11%. Made with skin contact, there’s a gentle astringency and cool freshness. Bottled after just three months. Vines Location: just south of … Continue reading VDF Luminescence
