2022 Domaine of the Bee

Retail: £27.50
Member: £22.00
Case: £165.00
Case (Member): £132.00

Varieties: Grenache Noir; Carignan
Vintage: 2022
Country: France
Region: Roussillon
Alcohol: 14.5%
Bottle size: 750 mL
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2036

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Description: Our Flagship red is made from our best barrels of Grenache and Carignan, and since 2019 has been classified as Maury Sec (before this we classified our wine as Cotes du Roussillon Villages, or Cotes Catalanes). The vineyards are the same three blocks we have owned since 2006, the grapes taste the same, but we've upped the Grenache component to 60%, which is the minimum permissable for Maury Sec.
Eyes: The year's wine is a dark rich velvety red - reflecting the ripe vintage, and small bunches.
Nose: An intoxicating aroma full of ripe, fleshy, dark-skinned plums and a suggestion of subtly-spiced oak
Mouth: Deliciously rich and smooth, the mouth is filled with compote of ripe figs, spiced plums and kirsch, with a suggestion of liqueur chocolate - yet the palate is bright and fresh, with delightfully cleansing pithy tannins, and a hint of garrigue herbs.
Body: full
Winemaking Notes: All our grapes for Domaine of the Bee were hand harvested, and then hand-sorted at the winery to ensure we only chose the healthiest and ripest grapes. The first Carignan to be picked is fermented in a stainless steel tank. The rest of the Carignan, and all of the Grenache is cold-macerated in upturned demi-muids (500L barrels) with the ends taken out, before being warmed up, inoculated with yeast, and gently punched down 2-3 times a day. After pressing, all of the wine was drained into a mixture of 500L and 225L barrels, approximately a quarter of which are new, and left to mature for 16 months.
Growing Conditions: The Winter of 2021/22 was uncharacteristically dry, with 'normal' rain in April and May giving the vines enough moisture to commence the season's growth, and the lovely dry period during flowering in late May / June ensure the 'sortie' (successful flowering) was excellent, with LOADS of bunches.
There then followed an exceptionally dry July and August which had us fearing that the vines would stop ripening, and that the grapes would just shrivel. Some relieving light rain in September kept the vines respiring, and we managed to harvest a good crop of plentiful bunches with very small grapes - with exceptional flavours.
Food Pairing: Great with grilled red meat, hearty stews, barbequed food, and hard cheeses.