Wines

The entrancing white wine of Mas Jullien attests to the complex and exceptional qualities that can be expressed by the local grapes of Clairette and Carignan Blanc which form the base of this wine. Chenin Blanc and Roussanne and Grenache Blanc are present as well. This wine is released almost two years after harvest and will age gracefully while developing a large palette of nuance and silky texture that is rarely seen in even the most exalted of appellations known for their white wines.

This is a saignée rosé made from juice that is bled off the skins of red grapes from Jullien’s vineyards on the Terraces du Larzac. In descending order of percentage, it is Cinsault, Carignan, and Mourvèdre, though the blend can change from vintage to vintage. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel with native yeast, aging in Stockinger foudre of mixed ages. Truly a wine of terroir, this is the one of the most structured rosés we see each season, a somewhat wild wine of deep, earthy complexity that does beautifully at the table with virtually any grilled fare.

Unlike the rest of Olivier’s holdings, which are planted on predominantly limestone soil, “Carlan” features schist, sandstone, and iron, and is planted at 240 meters above sea level. The majority of the vines are 75 years old, with some “younger” vines at around 45 years of age. The blend is 50% Grenache, 25% Carignan, 15% Cinsault, and 10% Syrah. The combination of terroir and cépage give this wine a softer, fruit-forward profile than Mas Jullien’s signature red. A forest floor nose with the whiff of a distant bonfires leads onto a palate of dark berried fruit with hints of chocolate, cassis and violet with tapenade and hedgerow underneath.

Lous Rougeos (Occitan for “Les Rougeots”) is Olivier’s highest-altitude vineyard, a west-facing plot situated above the village of Saint Privat at 400 to 450 meters altitude. Composed of Carignan and Syrah, it is fermented and aged 12 months in fine –grained oak foudre. A beautiful, ringing acidity and freshness carries the drinker’s mind far away from the stereotypical heat of the Languedoc. Olivier has always loved and respected Carignan for its particular affinity to the soils and climate of this part of the Languedoc and for its ability to express profound minerality. This is a don’t-miss wine for those curious to see just how much finesse and verve a genius grower can coax out of a great terroir in the Languedoc.

Aged 2 years in a combination of demi-muids and large foudres, “Autour de Jonquieres” is built on the back of old-vines Mourvedre (40%) planted in poor limestone soils, with 40% Carignan and 20% Syrah as well, also from very old, minuscule-yielding vines. This cuvée displays that uncanny combination of elegance and power that characterizes so many of France’s truly great wines. It is both rugged and refined, both tenacious and supple, with a harmony of elements that suggests great cellaring potential. For its complexity, profound terroir expression, visceral pleasure, and long age-ability, we wager that there are few greater values for serious red wine to be found in all of France than Mas Jullien.