Eric Solomon, the importer of the wine, explains that “this project is the brainchild of Jean-Luc Thunevin and Jean-Roger Calvet and is limited to only a few hectares of old vines planted on black schist. Jean-Luc Thunevin made his first mark on the wine world with (what is now) the cult wine Chateau Valandraud in Bordeaux. Valandraud is recognized as one of the first “garage” wines of Bordeaux. In 2001, he teamed up with Jean-Roger Calvet, a local winemaker who was doing great work with Carignan and Grenache, to produce their first vintage.”

This is as understated as it is brief, but gets the idea across well.  Château Valandraud is one of the most sought after wines from Bordeaux, due to its insanely small production, and Jean-Luc’s insane commitment to quality.  The black schist soil is geologically identical to the famous “licorella” soil of Priorat in Spain, which is no surprise, because this region, The Fenouillèdes, is very close to Mediterranean Spain.  The vineyards, which were Jean-Roger’s contribution to the party, are made up of very old Grenache and Carignan vines that are planted on their own rootstocks, in this case they average about 40 years old, but in the Hugo, the vines are in excess of 60 years old.

The Fenouillèdes is a special place.  The climate here is dry, and the soil is particularly infertile.   Imagine the set of one of Clint Eastwood’s Spaghetti Western’s and you can get a good approximation of what it looks like.  Poor soil, combined with old vines result s in very low yields, and very intensely flavored wines.  In the bad old days of French wine, before there were laws protecting appellations, the wines from this area were the preferred strengtheners for the much less sturdy Bordeaux and Burgundy that were being shipped to Great Britain and the New World.  After this became illegal, it was said that blending one barrel of wine from The Fenouillèdes (the area is named after the fennel plants that grow like tumbleweed) would give 50 barrels of non-descript plonk enough character to make an enjoyable wine.  About thirty years ago, the current generation of vineyard owners began to realize that their parents had wasted an incredible resource, and started to keep their grapes for themselves and make wine.

The winery says that this wine is made from 50% Grenache and 50% Carignan (though Robert Parker seems to think it is made from 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Carignan).  The grapes are hand harvested, crushed and fermented and aged in temperature controlled tanks for 18 months.  The resulting wine is both powerful and light on its feet, with fresh black fruit, loads of spice and mineral character, and a firm, elegant structure (this is a thoroughbred rather than a Clydesdale).  This is a great wine for pork and lamb chops, wild boar (or heirloom varities of pork like Mangolista that have more flavor) but it is also a good candidate to go with just about anything because of its great structure.  Drink now -2013.