Les Vignes Oubliées - Terrasses du Larzac 2024

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Jean-Baptiste Granier produces one of the most exciting Cinsaults, masterfully cultivating just under ten hectares since his debut in 2007, with the support of Olivier Jullien. The finish is delightful and floral, with notes of red fruit and licorice: the similarity in texture to the great Pinot Noirs of Burgundy is evident. It has everything a great wine should, except the price. The flagship cuvée, from the Terrasses-du-Larzac, avoids all the classic pitfalls of over-ripeness and over-extraction; it comes close to the benchmarks of its category, almost matching them. The white has established itself in just a few years as one of the region’s finest wines for fine dining.

Decanter

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

The Vignes Oubliées project began in 2007, when Olivier Jullien and Jean-Baptiste Granier—then an intern at Mas Jullien—decided to make wine for the first time from plots of old, high-altitude vines in the Saint-Privat area. The vineyard sits on schist and sandstone soils that had been left to fall into disuse, producing beautiful grapes but in small quantities that did not meet the expectations of local cooperatives. The experiment was a success, the wine was named, and the adventure could continue: Jean-Baptiste would tend to these old vines. Today, they are aged in a natural cave, a restored former oil mill. The wines have gently refined their character, resulting in wines with pure and deep mouthfeel.

Jeb Dunnuck