{"product_id":"liath-2023-24-michael-speers","title":"Liath 2023\/24 - Michael Speers","description":"\u003cp\u003eGrenache Noir from old vines growing on rolled calcareous pebbles, grown by Valentin Bourret of Domaine la Rouge Jouvence, in la-Baume-de-Transit. Harvested by hand, the bunches went straight to the press. The wine fermented in tank before racking to a 228L cask to age for a year. In September 2024, Michael pumped the juice onto the pressed skin of Grenache Blanc, and after three days of maceration, the wine was returned to cask. A month later the wine was bottled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClarity and freshness on the nose, with tangerine zest, rosemary, and earl grey. The palate has all the volume of jus à blanc Grenache noir, with a fine frame of tannins from the short maceration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe producer\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eI first met Michael at a dinner Tom Hayes was cooking at La Roche house in Belfast. He had just returned from Paris, and mentioned during his time in France he had produced a single barrel of wine at the breathtaking Caves Cathédrales, a vast troglodyte cave in Drome.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally from County Down, Michael is often on the road, either performing his solo work or touring\/recording with collaborators, most recently Maria Somerville - whose latest album Michael played on - and Olan Monk. Between 2022 and 2024, the budding artist based himself in Paris, where he became ensconced with a group of musicians who shared his love of wine. Frequenting the famous bistros and bars of the city, Michael got to know Antonin Roux, himself a composer, and Aymar Caillol, who runs a Marseille winebar. The pair had just established Vins Mercuriales, a micro-négociant project based in Drome. Michael became a regular at ‘Les Instants Chavirés’ legendary experimental music venue in Montreuil, whose owners, Philippe Bacchetta and Thierry Schaeffer, had assembled an impressive cellar of wines since opening in 1991. Michael’s interest deepened, a feeling many of us are familiar with, and spent the following Autumns helping Antonin and Aymar at their cellar in Drome. When presented the opportunity, Michael bought some fruit himself, and was offered a small spot at the cellar where he could vinify his first micro cuvée, Liath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael brought cask samples of the wine back to Ireland, which I had the chance to taste with him during a trip to Belfast earlier this year, at the city’s infamous Menagerie bar. The wine was bottled and labelled in early 2026, and was shipped to Ireland in Spring. On tasting, I remarked to Michael that he had benefitted from beginners luck, but should this considerate artist maintain his form through the vintages to come, we are certainly in for a treat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe place\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLiath, the Irish for grey, is a play on the a local gris de Provence, a wine from Grenache Noir that’s colour is too pallid to be called a rosé. This was Michael’s attempt to correct the record, though the maceration with the marc of Grenache Blanc has sent this wine in a new direction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrapes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Grenache Noir (jus à blanc), Grenache Blanc\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRegion:\u003c\/strong\u003e Caves Cathédrales, Drome, France\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Michael Speers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54988710084946,"sku":"170859","price":18.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1116\/0246\/7154\/files\/liath-2023-24-michael-speers.jpg?v=1791452552","url":"https:\/\/www.brianswines.ie\/products\/liath-2023-24-michael-speers","provider":"Brian's Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}