Domaine Modat - Côtes du Roussillon De-ci De-là 2022

Philippe Modat made up for the thankless nature of his job as a court clerk at the Commercial Court by breathing new life into his wild gneiss-based vineyards in Caramany, with the help of his tireless estate manager, Laurent Abet. Today, his sons Quentin and Louis have taken over, with many projects in mind. Impeccable viticulture, respectful winemaking, and the development of a diverse portfolio—everything is falling into place to help the estate grow and evolve. Promising wines, a cellar brimming with ideas, and a welcome breath of fresh air sweeping through an appellation that sorely needs it.

Grown on gneiss and granitic sandy soils, the white grape varieties (white and gray Grenache, Macabeu, and white Carignan) are harvested “here and there,” scattered among very old red vines, then vinified in large oak casks and demi-muids, followed by 10 months of aging on the lees. The result is a mineral, lively, and taut wine, with very subtle oak providing structure and a pleasant roundness on the mid-palate, leading to a fresh finish with notes of lemon and lychee.

Of Catalan origin, Philippe Modat, a magistrate, is a knowledgeable wine enthusiast—just like his father, who also became a winemaker. This passion led to the establishment in 2006 of a vineyard in the Agly Valley: 27 hectares of vines on a plateau at an altitude of 300 meters, in the process of converting to organic farming since 2011 (8 hectares cultivated biodynamically), and an ecologically designed winery equipped with solar panels, which opened in 2008.

A robust white wine that truly tastes like the wind blowing through the brush and over the rocks of a mountain. It’s sage and purple sage flowers. It’s the smell of your hands after rock climbing—geosmin and earth—and the scent of moss clinging to the undersides of rocks beneath a waterfall. And yet, there’s a softness to it as it warms up and opens up in the glass—a softness and purity of fruit that became more pronounced as we tasted it over several days. Baked pears, then fuzzy peaches. A hint of caramel on the finish.