Appellation: Terrasses du Larzac
Grape variety: 50-year old Grenache and 70-year-old Carignan
Viticulture: Organic
Soil type: Limestone scree
Elevation: 650m
Winemaking: Traditional in cement truncated vats, 100% destemmed grapes, indigenous yeasts.
Aging: Since 2010, 18 months only in 20-hectolitre Stockinger foudre.
Bottles made: 5,300 (440 cases)

Carignan in the right vineyards like this one has the deft ability to balance flavor intensity and elegance in the most enjoyable way.  This wine reminds me of something like a cross of Tempier's Lulu & Lucien intro rouge meets a Northern Rhone like a Saint-Joseph or a Cornas.  Violet, black olive, cherry, blueberry and plum, the fruit spectrum being dark red to blue. The elevation of these vineyards makes for a delicate, classy red with Carignan aromas in the foreground.

Olivier Jeantet has a quarter century of organic farming under his belt. It’s reasonable to call him a pioneer in Larzac.

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Olivier Jeantet purchased his property, which is comprised of 12 separate vineyard sites, in 1999. In the Larzac, it is rare to have a contiguous plot of vineyards. It makes for an interesting day in the life of a vigneron to visit property winding up and down the valley. You must be part vigneron, part survivalist guide, part race car driver. Olivier was a Rally Car Driver in a previous life so perhaps for him it is just all in a day’s work. The Plateau of the Larzac is located within a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over three millennia of agro-pastoral history. Many of his vineyards are surrounded by almond and olive orchards and history. Check out the Abbey in the photos above dated from the 1st Century CE.

Olivier is self-taught, and as time has progressed he has changed his philosophy on the oak treatment of his wines, preferring less and less. He believes that “80% du travail du vigneron, c’est la vigne et le sol.” He farms organically without the use of pesticides and without the use of herbicides. He uses precise pruning techniques, a 100% manual harvest, all native yeast fermentations in cement tronconic vats, and he bottles unfined and unfiltered. He chose to practice organic farming for personal reasons and for ecological reasons. His sentiment surrounding it rings true for many of us: "Chemical treatments really scared me. To have to dress like an astronaut before going to work in the vineyard and then let your children eat the grapes just cannot work."

Jay and I happened to stumble upon Olivier’s wines when we were in search of his wife, Géraldine Laval. They live and work in city called La Vacquerie-et-Saint-Martin-de-Castries, population 138. We started out being on time, and ended up getting completely turned around in this magnificent tiny town. I like to be early for everything, and knowing that the French are more precise in their timing than the Italians I was worried that we would not be able to meet and taste with Géraldine. Just as we were about to give up we found it, and we had a very pleasant surprise: a double feature. Olivier’s wines were aromatic, elegant, fresh and vibrant. Pretty much all of my favorite things. I was charmed, Jay was charmed, and the deal was sealed by meeting the family dog. We both ended up invading their personal space by needing to visit the WC before heading to Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette. Their joint winery is located off their kitchen.