A rare white varietal and mini Fitou vertical with Katie Jones
After a much-needed summer break the EDW Alumni Club gathered again in September resuming our monthly wine tasting rendezvous; this time spent the evening with a familiar face, winemaker Katie Jones of Domaine Jones. Dia Grigoriou shares the evening with you in her blog below.
Katie worked for many years in Languedoc before deciding to purchase a small vineyard outside the village Touchan, in the border of Languedoc and Roussillon. Established in 2009, the Domaine is made from 15 tiny vineyards (12 hectares combined) planted exclusively with organically farmed old vines the oldest being 113 years old. Interestingly, the winery has established a most innovative scheme, Domaine Jones Adopt an Old Vine giving wine lovers the opportunity to get to know the different vineyards and the vines of the Domaine.
A big thank you to Katie for managing to show us around her winery amidst the manic of a harvest and for walking us through the Domaine’s approach to producing their crafty wines. She gave us a brilliant review of her 2021 vintage from harvest to fermentation and we totally geeked out when she showed us the various bubbling vats and differences in the colour of her white wines according to their variety and various press fragments. Our virtual winery visit finished off with the red wine vats where Katie compared two red varieties that had started fermenting at different times. The differences in colour were distinct, from pale the shorter the extraction to deep ruby the longer the extraction. Katie explained that the use of rack and return, a gentle cap management technique, allows extraction of colour and structure in her wines.
In the second half of the evening, we had the pleasure to try the white wines of the Domaine and then continued to our mini vertical tasting where we compared four vintages of Domaine Jones Fitou, from 2016 to 2019.
The Rare Whites: Grenache Gris & Macabeau
Our first wine, the Domaine Jones Old Vine Grenache Gris 2017 was a superb example of this obscure grape. 100% Grenache Gris wines are somewhat of a rarity so we were in for a rare treat! This showed a defined lemon and apricot fruit, alongside gentle hints of white blossom and nutmeg, with a touch of dried herbs and a round oily texture before finishing off in a long satisfying aftertaste. Such an interesting wine that although on the night we enjoyed it with some fabulous yellow cheese, we think it would pair beautifully with roast chicken, simple fish & seafood dishes.
Our second wine the Domaine Jones Vieux Cepages Macabeau 2017 comes from probably one of the last remaining
Macabeau vineyards in the village as most have been ripped up and replanted with more profitable grape varieties. The vines are more than fifty years old and although the variety naturally produces large yields, Katie uses various viticultural techniques that reduce yields resulting in more concentrated aromas and flavours in her final wine. This was a peach, pear and melon filled wine with a tangy twist and a good weight on the palate. The wine can age well for a few years and we are keen to top up with a few bottles to try now but in the years to come!
The Fitou Appellation
Fitou, Katie’ s favourite South of France appellation and the traditional and oldest appellation in the Languedoc and goes back a long time, since 1948. The appellation was created with the mindset to create low yield, quality wines. Domaine Jones Fitou is usually a blend of 40% Carignan, 30% Grenache and 30% Syrah grapes however the blend components may change each year according to how the vintage has shaped.
We set about our mini vertical tasting with the third wine of the night, the Domaine Jones “Vielles Vignes” Fitou 2019. This fresh red showed its youth with an abundance of crunchy black fruit, mouth-watering acidity, beautiful texture and a long finish. We loved pairing this with mature cheddar cheese and would pair it further with game and meat-based stews.
Our mini vertical continued with the 2018 Domaine Jones “Vielles Vignes” Fitou where we found distinct plummy and jammy flavours with warming spices and a more noticeable tannin structure. Bring on a hearty beef stew to match the richness of this Fitou.
We felt that wine number five, the 2017 version of the Domaine Jones “Vielles Vignes” Fitou gave generous, concentrated and defined aromas of black cherry, blackberry, plum, blossom, cinnamon and clove. Most of our wine club members identified a meaty quality and a pepperiness, perhaps a tell-tale that Syrah fared well that year!
Our final wine, the 2016 Domaine Jones “Vielles Vignes” Fitou was unanimously the favourite of EDW wine club members. The age had a clear influence on the wine’s aromatics and complexity. Although the wine is still developing it already showed intense and expressive black fruit, cassis, liquorice and violet blossom, some fabulous tertiary notes of prune and dried fig with a distinct umami flavour that was accompanied by warm spices and pepper notes. An absolutely delicious and outstanding red wine that would pair excellently with a traditional South of France slow-cooked cassoulet.
Our verdict trying the Domaine Jones Vielles Vignes Fitou vintages back-to-back is that these are definitely flagship Fitou wines to seek for. We are looking forward to trying these again in a few years to see the development of the young 2019 and the maturity of the 2016. If you loved these wines as much as we did and wish to purchase some more for the cellar, alongside some 2013 and 2014 versions, please visit stockists Fareham Wine Cellar.
Some of the latest Fitou vintages can also be sourced by Flagship Wines and The Wine Society.
If you wish to enjoy some fabulous relaxed and educational wine tasting, Enjoy Discovering Wine’s Alumni Club hosts wine tastings most months of the year with a minimum of six wine samples sent to your door. We’ve moved our interactive sessions online via Zoom due to Covid-19 and have enjoyed several at-home tastings with some of the world’s most talented winemakers.
Not sure what level of wine knowledge you already have?