Joe Jefferies is a guy from Warwickshire who went to the South of France to help his Dad do up a house. He met a girl, fell in love and never looked back. Joe worked as a cycle tour guide for a number of years, but after drinking the wines of, and becoming friends with Remi Poujol and Bernard Bellahsen of Domaine Fontedicto he decided to try his hand with the grape, taking over his stepdads Grenache Blanc vines and finding other north-facing vineyards around his home town of Caux. The vineyards all sit on the plateau of an old volcano, with vineyards rich in basalt and in an increasingly warm climate Joe still manages to find freshness in his wines. He only uses native varieties. all of the wines are produced with zero additions, no fining or filtering and he gives the wines the time they need before releasing them. In recent years Joe has practised shorter macerations on his reds to get wines that for him speak more of the terroir and experimented with barrel-ageing. The wines are going from strength to strength.

'The Grand Cru of the Herault'

'The Grand Cru of the Herault'

50/50 Grenache Blanc and Marsanne (the last vintage for the Marsanne). Direct press with no settling, aged on gross lees. Pure and mineral with a richness from the varietal, but lovely minerality and fruit. Starting to drink well, but experience says this will age wonderfully.

2/3 direct press of grenache blanc and ugni blanc (about half and half) and 1/3 whole bunch ugni blanc macerated for 6 days in the direct press juice (infusion/trempette), then decuved, pressed off, blended and fermented together. The Grenache Blanc is roughly 40 years old, Ugni is in two parts : about 15 years and about 30 years. All on Basalt soils.

This pours a peachy amber, with a soft texture, lovely bright fruit, but still crisp and fresh. Lovely.

This is a blend of 20% Grenache Gris, Blanc & Noir from 2019 with Grenache Gris, Noir & Cinsault from 2020. All of the grapes were given a 6 day maceration, co-fermented in each vintage.

The wine has delicious bright fruit, with lovely concentration, but still incredible freshness and minerality from those basalt soils.

Iris 22 is 6 day whole bunch maceration of Grenache N, Cinsault and Grenache G (roughly 40%, 40%, 20%), all picked together, co macerated, decuved, pressed off, blended and fermented together. Over-wintered on lees in fibreglass tanks, bottled in June 2023 (same ageing and bottling as cabane 22). All from vines planted in 2013, pruned in low languedocien gobelet, on the edge of basalt lava flow with basalt scree on red clay and gravel.

Pouring a beautiful pinky red this is brimming with wild red fruit balanced with minerality, acidity and brilliant acidity.

A blend of Grenache Gris, Noir & Cinsault given a 6 day maceration. A little straighter than the 2020 version (called 19/20) this is an explosion of fruit and minerals. Drink lightly chilled. 

2021 was 100% Carignan given a 6 day whole bunch maceration, then aged in tank on gross lees. It has a smoky reduction on opening, which with a bit of air opens up in a very mineral lithe Carigan, with lots of freshness from this cooler vintage. The basalt, volcanic soils give a minerality that reminds me of the best wines from the Auvergne. 

Carignan bought from a volcanic plateau near Fos (about 10k from here). A total of 24 months on skins (its own skins plus 2 successive batches of carignan skins from 2020 & 2021 = three lots of 8 months). Is actually v light in colour and structure (skins and stalks sucked tannins and colour back up). The carignan is very deep with spicy aromatics. Joe blended 60 % carignan with 40% of grenaches noir, gris and Cinsault from 2021 to give fruit and freshness. Is tasting stellar.