Never ones to stop experimenting, Petit Prince is a stunning new La Tangente cuvée that pushes the idea of multiple terroirs further, here taking grapes from the Gard, Vaucluse and the southern Ardèche and bringing them together to combine their delicate infusion style with the structure of whole-bunch.

Cinsault & Carignan see the latter treatment, macerated for ten days and then blended into a separate vinification where an uncommon combination of Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo has been gently extracted by dropping a selection of complete bunches into their directly-pressed juice. After 7 months together in steel tank it was then moved to and old foudre barrel for 10 months before bottling with no additions.

This complex blend of grapes and processes shines through in the finished wine and its multi-layered detail. Aromatics balance brighter, higher tones of red fruits with savoury mushroom in a way that hints at something Burgundian. Texturally, the wine is slick, plush and elegant, giving the dusty cherry fruits and unexpected citrus peels an lovely soft edge. An initial fresh crunch, leads into riper, raisined notes then the tertiary notes of the barrel follow, in three distinct phases. An accomplished exercise that whilst drinking well now will only improve the longer it is laid down.