The second outing of this pure-fruited infusion wine, the 2023 vintage even more open and expressive, with a slight modification to the blend, incorporating a little spicy Cinsault to the mix.

When worked in this way the Syrah gives off some beautiful strawberry character, here with a soft, rounded compote-like concentration. The Grenache and Cinsault bring their particular brand of spice, taking things into a herbal direction in the finish, with pleasing bitters to cut the palate and balance out the abundance of gummy fruit. A positive ripple of varietal clarity, it’s great to see this cuvée develop and improve.

Mainly a split of Grenache and Syrah, coming from organic plots in the Gard and Vaucluse departments of the Southern Rhône, grown over rocky limestone and clay. Grapes in whole bunches are dropped into direct-pressed juice for ten days, to gently bleed their pigment and tannins into the wine in a light extraction. Separately, a whole-bunch maceration of Cinsault is vinified and then added to the tank, making up about 10% of the final blend. The wine was then divided between a big old foudre barrel and clay tinaja to age for 8 months before bottling in spring 2024 with no additions.