Domaine Philémon - Jurançon Noir - Gaillac, FR - 2021

Sunny Gaillac, cooled by Mediterranean breezes, is perhaps the only place the local varietal called Jurançon Noir can properly ripen. A cross between Folle Blanche and Côt (AKA Malbec), it’s a rambunctious vine, sensitive to temperature and requiring strident pruning.

The grapes are whole-cluster, semi-carbonic fermented in concrete tanks with native yeasts. The wine is bottled young and sealed with a crown cap. It’s an inky-hued, spicy, slightly bitter wine with a perfume of dried purple flowers and wet earth, along with a gentle minerality that makes this an ideal chilled red wine. This is a unique treasure of this region.

Domaine Philémon is located in Villeneuve-sur-Vere, a small village in the northeastern part of the Gaillac appellation, in Southwest France. The Vieulesfamily have owned vines in Villeneuve since 1804. Today the vineyard is run by Mathieu Vieules who grows wheat, sunflowers and grapes in equal proportions. All his land is farmed_ organically,_ certified since 2013. The domain takes its name from Mathieu’s great-grandfather, Philémon, who in 1914 was the first generation to produce wine commercially. In 2003 Mathieu became the first to estate bottle his family’s wines.
Mathieu has 20 hectares of vineyards in production along the Cordes plateau on south-facing slopes with a calcerous soil. They are planted almost entirely to the traditional Gaillac grape varieties: Loin de L’oeil, Mauzac and Muscadelle for the whites, and Braucol (Fer Servadou), Duras, Prunelart and Jurançon Noir for the reds. A good proportion of the extremely low-yielding vines are more than fifty years old and all hand-harvested. In addition to being certified organic the domain is a member of Nature et Progrès, an organization that certifies natural wine. The still wine bottles are all uniquely sealed with a crown cap.