St. Jean du Barroux L'Argile 2015

Sale $21.99 - Beats Best US Price Online by $3 per bottle! 

93 Jeb Dunnuck
 

One of the top estates in the Ventoux, Saint Jean du Barroux is run by the talented Philippe Gimel, who studied under Christophe and Isabel Sabon at Domaine de la Janasse. The vineyard work at St Jean du Barroux is humbly grounded in the concept that the vigneron is a caretaker of the land and its terroir. The farming is organic, with biodynamic practices, cover crops of natural plants are encouraged, work is done mainly by hand and the surrounding ecosystem is protected and nurtured. More often than not the vineyards look more like gardens than a working farm. Yields are painfully low, between 15-20 hl/ha on average. Harvesting is manual, often conducted in several passes through the vineyards to ensure that only the best grapes reach the recently built but modest cellar.

"The rocky clay soils of his vineyards are devoted to producing a wine he calls l’Argile which is a blend of Grenache and Syrah with small proportions of Carignan and Cinsault. Thoroughly old school, he ferments and ages his wine in concrete tanks for a very long time before bottling – in the cases of L’Argile, at least two years. Naturally he also waits to release the wines after an additional time in bottle; when he feels they are drinking well." importer note 

“The 2015 L’Argile (75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and 5% each of Carignan and Cinsault) spent 24 months in concrete, as well as year in bottle. Slightly more elegant, with beautiful kirsch, currants, spice, minerality and hints of pepper, it’s medium to full-bodied, seamless and impeccably balanced on the palate, with fine, fine tannin, and a great finish. This is pure class and is going to age beautifully.” JD

Or reply. The wine will be available Wednesday in Chapel Hill. Friday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.