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About the Wine
A deep, sandy amber in the glass, this impressive maceration of Grenache, both Blanc and Gris, hits a perfect balance of structure, power and freshness. Apricot stone fruits, twinged with turmeric and ginger are heightened with a touch of volatile. Some lovely concentration on the palate, with pithy, resinous citrus oils and a honeyed, medicinal quality.
For such a young wine the tannins feel neat and compact – fine-grained, almost powdery, as they carry everything through to a long, saline finish. Feeling very much in harmony already, we’re looking forward to seeing this wonderful wine develop over time.
The grapes come from a single parcel that is planted with both varietals, over sandy limestone and clay. They were de-stemmed and macerated for 5 days before being pressed into a mixture of steel and amphora to rest until the spring, then bottled with no additions at any stage.
About Le Chai Volant
Born in Morocco, now residing in the tranquil isolation of the mountainous Pyrénées-Orientales, Fatim initially trained as a herbalist before fulfilling her long-term goal of making wine. After a lot of searching she was able to acquire her own ‘Mas’ – an old remote farm - that comprised 3.5 hectares of vines aged between 20 and 80 years of age and a place to live, in the Aspres region at the foothills of the Canigou mountain range.
Sitting in the valley floor, the vines sit in complete seclusion and were tended to by a grower practising organic farming before her who wanted to ensure that the land fell into the right hands before retiring. Using her previous training, Fatim works in the vineyard with her own brand of biodynamics, using homemade fermented plant extracts from the diverse flora of the hillsides. The arid soils are treated with copper only when absolutely necessary.