DescriptionThese wines are as natural as wines can be. From her hillside vantage point, remote from the rest of the Rhône but with an elevated view of it, Michelle Aubrey-Laurent has been making wines without recourse to chemical fertilisers, pesticides or fungicides for thirty years, long before organic viticulture became fashionable. Michelle is also certified biodynamic. The vineyards have a cooler climate compared to other vineyards in the same appellation since they are located at a higher altitude. The majority of the vineyards are old vine Grenache with the Sierra du Sud being made solely from Syrah. Wines from this domaine are known for their intensity, incredibly seductive aromatics and concentration on the scale of wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Hermitage.100% Grenache. Deep crimson. I had to laugh when I smelt this – the first wine in the tasting where I have noticed brett. But there’s bags of very ripe sweet cherry too, almost dried-cherry intensity. That savoury quality on the palate does suggest a touch of brett but it has not dried out the texture, which is savoury and classic Southern Rhône. You’d really think there was some Mourvèdre in the blend. Firm, chewy but rounded, with a cool elegant freshness on the finish that surprises after the meaty richness. Jancis Robinson 17/20 (2014)
