Comax Ethylix Rouge Casot des Mailloles 2017

Comax Ethylix Rouge Casot des Mailloles, Biodynamic wine, sensational garage wine, Syrah from low yielding old vines, dark berry fruits, firm tense structure, wild aromas of garrigue and Provencal scrub land.  When red wine has energy and drinkability like this, it is like drinking white in terms of the sensations, this wine would be great chilled too. The red and black fruits are crunchy and explosive, you taste the yeasty origins of fermentation and the sense the dry land of the Roussillon at its core. A delicious red wine for natural wine devotees, no intervention whatsoever, how wine should be and increasingly it is! Now I may be wrong on this, but from what I can tell, the name is a bit of a play on Ethylic Coma – meaning alcohol induced coma…gotta love his sense of humour! Better answers on a postcard!

Le Casot des Mailloles is a 5 hectare estate nestled on steep terraces overlooking the town of Banyuls, in the Roussillon.

It is named after the traditional stone shelters that dot the vineyards in the region.  It was made famous by Biodynamic pioneers Alain Castex and Ghislaine Magnier who ran the estate until 2015.  The terrain here is steep so all the work is done manually.  The old vines of Grenache have buried their roots deep into the unique dark schist which is found in this area.

At Le Casot des Mailloles, they are strictly organic and biodynamic in the vines.  They use natural fermentation and never filter or fine the wines. Sulphites are also avoided entirely. 

After Alain Castex's retirement in 2015, production was passed on to Jordi Perez, a young winemaker very much in Alain's mould. He has continued the work and makes wine using the same methods as Alain and Ghislaine. Jordi is young and a very talented wine maker.  He is devoted to the Casot style and the integrity of these mystical vineyards but is also putting his own stamp on the wines. They have always carried great emotion and energy.  Jordi is aiming to bring also an element of precision and elegance which will raise the wines into the realms of the super fine.

Now after nearly 8 years at the helm, Jordi has made his mark.  The wines of Le Casot are absolutely stunning.  They have a vibrancy and energy that few other wineries in France and the world can match.  He has added some skin contact to some of the white wines and the older vintages, some which which predate Jordi continue to age majestically.  Natural wine for fine natural wine lovers, put a few cases away for 10 years.  You will be amazed how good they become.