Roboul Rouge Danjou-Banessy 2024

Roboul Rouge Danjou-Banessy, 60% Mourvedre, 40% Grenache, biodynamic production, 30 year old vines on puddingstone, clay, sand and limestone soils.  There was a time when we considered the reds of Danjou Banessey a little behind the world class white wines which they produce.  No longer.  The reds have a tremendous capacity to age, with a high percentage of Mourvedre, a superb red grape for aeging, they take on an opulence and elegance after five years or so rarely matched in this region of Southern France where the wines are sometimes tannic and a little rustique.  Roboul 24 is also gorgeous in youth.  The grapes are fermented whole bunch, naturally of course and then the wine is aged in old barrels of differing sizes.  Soft red fruits, garrigue, texture, subtle notes of dark cherry, very light spice, but as with all exotic wines of this class, it is the textural sensation in the mouth which really marks it out.  This wine is like drinking velvet and the finish lingers beautifully.

Grapes and wine have been part of the Danjou & Banessy families for many generations.

While the tradition has always been for fortified and rancio wines, the addition of vineyards during the 50's allowed them to build a ‘library’ of old wines. In 2001, Benoit Danjou took the reins, joined by his brother Sébastien a few years later. They are the keepers of the family’s style, and stock, of old fortified wines, whilst also adding light wines to the range. Domaine Danjou-Banessy uses a single-vineyard approach to winemaking across its 17 hectares of land, using vines with an average age of 60 years. The wine production method is fully biodynamic and non-interventionist, and has been for generations. All of these factors lead to delicious wines that are lively, elegant and softly textured.