Where black is the Colour, Where none is the Number 2022 - Les Bories Jefferies

Carignan and Cinsault harvested together from Joe’s plot on villafranchian soils littered with basalt scree. Six days of whole-bunch fermentation, before pressing off to finish fermentation in tank. The wine was then racked to age for one year in tank, before a further 2 years in old oak casks.

A luxuriant nose with black cherry, currants, and minerals. In the mouth, everything feels round and integrated, owed to the longer time in wood and perhaps a touch of residual sugar. Supple fruitiness, salinity, citrus, and bitter herbs, with a complex structure of fine tannins, minerality, and acidity. Sublime from Joe!

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The place

This 0.7 hectare plot is on smooth quartz pebbles that once formed a riverbed where these vines grow. The basalt comes from the Volcan des Baumes, an extinct volcano that erupted 1.5 million years ago, scattering loose chucks of basalt around Caux. On these soils the yields of Carignan are low, and Joe’s use of whole-bunch fermentation reveals its hidden finesse and complexity. The Cinsault brings an elegant fruitiness and mineral density, bringing the depth and concentration of carignan into balance. The name of the cuvée is from Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, something winegrowers in the south find themselves hoping all too frequently these days.

Grapes: Carignan, Cinsault

Region: Caux, Languedoc, France