Fleur de Lage Les Vins de Cabanon Alain Castex 2021

Fleur de Lage Les Vins de Cabanon, biodynamic wine, pure terroir, iconic natural wine producer. The new Cuvee which is effectively Tir a Blanc but fermented in Amphorae.  Alain Castex used to make this shot of white when he was owner of Le Casot de Mailloles. Now moved on and running his own very small (Le Casot was small enough) vineyard, Les Vins de Cabanon.  The vines lie further inland near Fitou.  The wine is an outstanding and rare biodynamic white from the Roussillon. This pure natural wine is made from Grenache Blanc and Maccabeu. When I first tasted this wine called Tir a Blanc, I was blown away by the explosion of aroma that leapt from the glass.  It is so vibrant and full of life, you would be excused for thinking the wine is going to crawl out of the glass and walk away. Wild flowers, fresh fruits, garrigue, herbs, sweet lavender and yeastiness all delight the senses. On the palate, the wine tingles with acidity and flavour and its freshness doesn’t diminish with age.  Rather the wine evolves with yet more complexity and texture.  Absolutely superb ‘vin de terroir’.  This new Cuvee was produced in minute quantity, snap it up fast.

Alain Castex and his partner Ghislaine were two of the original ‘Garagistas’, small vigneron/wine makers whose limited means forced them to make wine literally ‘in the Garage’.

The original vineyard purchased in the early 90s is called Le Casot de Mailloles and is based on the steep schistous slopes above the Mediterranean in Banyuls. In 2015 Alain sold Le Casot and being in his 60s moved into semi-retirement. He still retains a tiny vineyard where he indulges his lifelong passion for farming and wine production. The single hectare of vineyard where he now produces Les Vins de Cabanon is situated on the sandy, clay soils of Trouillas a little inland from Banyuls and follows the same natural principles which Alain used at ‘Le Casot’. The production is tiny, with just a couple of thousand bottles of four different wines produced each year and a UK allocation of just 150 bottles of each. His wines are some of the most vibrant, energetic and simply delicious you will ever try. They ooze sunshine and vitality and as spring approaches, they make for absolutely perfect drinking. Alain Castex is a rare find in the wine world, a man who has never compromised his belief that natural production is the only way to capture the essence of his grapes and terroir. Even in the early days when natural wine was rejected as poor quality and faulty and when appellations refused to accept the authenticity of these noble bottles, (Alain was refused the local appellation twice and then gave up and simply labelled his wine, ‘Vin de Table’), Alain stuck to his guns. His dedication and commitment to his vision have over the years earned him the respect he deserves and today, his rare bottles have a passionate following.