| Domaine Força Réal |
|
|
Slowly we drive our rental car up the winding dirt road to where a
beautiful, Spanish-Mediterranean building sits perched on the mountain
above the valley floor below. I only hope I’m in the right place
and not intruding on a neighbor’s domaine who might be unimpressed
to welcome a stray wine importer from the States.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Fortunately,
this is Força Réal a lovely property situated 20km west
of Perpignan near a village called Millas offering one of the most
extraordinary panoramas of the Roussillon.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Cyril
Henriques comes out from behind a large wooden door and invites us
in. The barrel room is immaculately spotless; the concrete roof is
supported by dark, purple columns; and the feeling is one of just having
entered a Pharaoh’s tomb. It’s beautiful, and so are the
wines. Força Réal is all about Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre,
and small amounts of Muscat and Rivesaltes dessert wines.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The
property consists of 40 hectares of vines along with 10 hectares dedicated
to the production of olives. Very low yields are practiced, on average
30hl/hectare, and all the fruit is picked by hand resulting in high
quality and rich concentration but at very affordable prices. |
|
| Domaine Le Roc des Agnes |
|
Marjorie Gallet is the young woman behind Domaine Le Roc des
Anges and she brings real commitment and passion to this far south
west corner of France. She has about 22 ha/54 acres around the village
of Montner, and very much in the mould of Gérard Gauby, Marjorie
is producing world-class wines from her old-vine Carignan. Marjorie
Gallet uses an old vertical basket press to get the juice out of the
thick-skinned grapes and practices organic, sustainable viticulture
in the field. Make no mistake about it – these wines are balanced
and sophisticated with a level of passion and finesse not seen in most
wines around the world. It sounds like hype, but believe me, you’ll
be astounded by how beautiful these wines are made and how silky they
feel in your mouth. When Jancis Robinson mentions your name in the
same breath with Gérard Gauby, true wine lovers should stand
up and take notice. Marjorie’s “1903” is 100% Carignan
from her vineyards planted in 1903 – it’s deliciously seductive
and ripe, with a velvety texture that hits your palate with big flavor
and pure pleasure. This wine exhibits elements of character and terroir
rarely found in winemaking these days.
|
|