In France, the "department" exists as an administrative division much like a county does in America. Deep in the Southwest corner of the country lies Department 66, which serves as the inspiration and namesake for our winery and vineyards in the town of Maury. Roughly two hours east of Barcelona, Spain and thirty minutes inland from the ancient Roman port city of Perpignan, old vine Grenache thrives along with Syrah and Carignan in the "Cotes Catalanes;" a sub-appellation of the Roussillon. We own and maintain 300 acres (120 hectares) of vineyards among the Pyrénées-Orientales mountain range, which were planted more than 60 years ago. The terroir is dominated by black schist, with small deposits of granite and limestone in red, rocky soils known as angile. Similar to the nearby growing region of Priorat in Spanish Catalonia, schist is a crystalline rock based soil that retains heat well but is poor in organic nutrients and nitrogens. Apart from lowland scrub, “garrigue,” and sparse tree plantings, very little agriculture survives here. The intense heat from the daytime sun is reflected back to the gnarled, head trained vines at night, increasing ripeness while maintaining acidity.

Tasting Notes: selection of older vines and is 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah aged in 50% new barrels. It’s another rich, powerful wine that does everything right, giving up sensational notes of black currants, cassis, chocolate, and graphite, with its oak smothered by its wealth of fruit. Full-bodied, concentrated, and layered, it has ripe, present tannins, no hard edges, and beautiful purity of fruit. It will compete with the best of the Southern Rhône and drink well for a decade or more.

Varietal: Grenache and Syrah

Region: Cotes Catalanes, France