Sous Les Cailloux des Grillons Clos Gravillas 2020

Sous les Cailloux des Grillons, supple, red fruit, lively, Natural red wine. Sous Les Cailloux is a frank and fresh wine with red fruit, fluidity and a touch of tannin. Short skin time for this blend of at least 7 varietals, one year’s ageing in tank only! It is bursting with bramble and blackberry flavours. There’s a savoury edge which is unsurprising given the savoury notes given to wine by Syrah and Mourvedre. A touch of eucalyptus finishes this wine off nicely. In the mouth it’s silky, without overpowering tannins.

Nicole and John Bojanowski specifically wanted “blinding white rock like that found at Aupilhac and Vosne- Romanée.

” (Two places where Nicole worked previously). The couple finally settled on the cute hamlet St. Jean de Minervois (population 44 and rising - or falling, as the case may be), in an area renowned for its delicious, grapey fortified Muscats. Gravillas means “gravel” in the local patois, and the white limestone gravel plateau that the Clos du Gravillas is located on has been used to grow grapes for hundreds if not thousands of years. The micro-climate assists the process of making great wines. Situated about 300 metres above sea level on slopes beneath the Montagne Noire the vineyards catch the cool evening breezes, allowing the grapes to retain more of their acidity. The high summer temperatures of this region during the day add the necessary alcohol to balance the acidity, creating the structural depth and maximum grape ripeness required to make excellent wine.