Saint Jean du Barroux
We are also delighted to announce that the talented Philippe Gimel has agreed to supply us with his highly sought after and very low volume Saint Jean du Barroux organic wines.
He produces just one red and one white wine under this label. These wines have caused a lot of excitement in France, Holland and the United States where they are eagerly snapped up as soon as they are released.
The front label from the white wine shows the beautiful Dentilles du Montmiral that loom in front of the vineyard.
The vineyards are near the picturesque village of Le Barroux, one of the beautiful perched villages of Provence. The vines grow on the lower slopes of the famous Mont Ventoux near the road between Le Barroux and the Roman town of Vaison la Romaine.
One of the reasons people are sitting up and taking notice of Philippe’s wines is the incredibly low yields that he takes from the vines. Whereas most producers in this area produce some 50 hectolitres for each hectare of vines, Philippe’s yields are down around 20! This means that the fruit flavour is much more concentrated – and this is certainly reflected in the wines.
Robert Parker called his red wine “a gorgeous blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and the rest Carignan and Cinsault. The wine’s bouquet is reminiscent of a great Côte Rotie even though the Syrah component is small and no Viognier is utilized. Exotic floral aromas intermixed with blackberry and cherry fruit jump from the glass. In the mouth, the wine is soft, velvety, medium to full-bodied, pure, elegant, and exotic.” (The Wine Advocate # 178 August 2008).
One of the reasons that people talk about the purity of the wine and the fine tannins is that every hand-picked bunch is painstakingly de-stemmed prior to pressing.
Here is a link to Philippe's latest newsletter:
Saint Jean du Barroux Newsletter No 7
Saint Jean du Barroux Cotes du Ventoux Oligocene Red 2005
This is a wine for those of you who want to cellar an emerging wine that will be fabulous in a few years time but with the potential to last for 15 or 20 years. Philippe Gimel is regarded as one of the emerging stars of the French wine scene and has achieved cult status in the United States. He is an engaging, enthusiastic and passionate advocate of his winemaking philosophy. His vineyard is completely organic and he uses no enzymes or commercial yeasts in the production of the wines.
The wine is made from Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Cinsault which come from vines that are harvested at extremely low yields (20 hectolitres per hectare). The wines see little wood in their maturation - Philippe prefers to use concrete and enamel instead. Only 5% of the wine is treated with wood and those barrels are ten years old!
The wines from his vineyard that crouches underneath the towering perched village of Le Barroux in Provence are making waves on both sides of the Atlantic. This is a big wine but with very fine tannins. It has the potential to be a great wine! And it will be even better if you lay it down for a few years. Philippe is a fastidious wine maker. He eschews the use of new wood and wants the quality of the grapes that he tends with such care in his vineyard to tell the story. His wines aren't cheap but they are significant.
We are delighted that he has agreed to let us distribute his gems in Australia.
RRP: $61
Certified organic by Ecocert: Licence no: 187390P
Saint Jean du Barroux Cotes du Ventoux White 2006
This is a wine for those who seek out complex, long, vibrant white wines with profound depth and concentration. It is a blend of three of our favourite white grapes - Clairette, White Grenache and Bourboulenc, with each comprising one third of the blend.
The wine is a light gold colour with greenish tints. The aromas include minerals, stone fruit, pineapple, citrus, raspberry, pear, strawberry, coconut with a residual honey overtone (we told you it was complex!).
The wine is made from vines that are at least 25 years old. Only natural fermentation is used with no yeasts or enzymes added. Two thirds of the wine was fermented in enamelled tanks and one third in 10 year old wooden barrels for a period of 11 months. It has been bottled in heavy Burgundian-style bottles and only long, premium corks are used.
Only 2300 bottles of this fine wine have been produced and ten cases (120 bottles) have been allocated for the entire Australian market. We anticipate that these will sell quickly.
RRP: $66
Certified organic by Ecocert: Licence no: 187390P