Wine drinkers have an almost Pavlovian response upon hearing any mention of Provence: ROSÉ! And yes, Provençal rosé is a benchmark and perfect with the food to boot. But Provence has a much more diverse wine culture than that.
The whites, often based on the Mediterranean grape Rolle (a.k.a. Vermentino) are lush, herbaceous expressions of place, their aromas and flavors reminiscent of the fragrant scrub they grow alongside. Ditto for its savory, spicy reds, the best of which capture all the signature flavors of Provence in a bottle: olives; lavender; sage; and of course juicy fruits ripened in a warm, arid climate. This red blend from the dynamic Domaine de Sulauze has everything going for it: It is unmistakably, exuberantly Provençal; it is a fantastic value; it’s organically farmed; and it is emblematic of what people who espouse ‘natural’ viticulture and winemaking are looking for – namely, purity. Sulauze’s “Les Amis” 2015 is the kind of wine we are always hunting for here at SommSelect. It is pure magic. It’s some of the best $23 you can spend. On anything.
Karina and Guillaume Levèfre (she from Brazil; he from Marseille) purchased the property that would become Domaine de Sulauze in 2004. They immediately converted the vineyards to organic and biodynamic viticulture (they’re now certified). Their vineyards span 29 hectares, most of them falling within the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AOC, resulting in an annual production of about 15,000 cases of wine (50% red; 40% rosé; 10% white). “Les Amis” is a blend of 85% Syrah and 15% Grenache that doesn’t behave like your average plump, luscious southern French red. It is elegant and perfumed, reminiscent of an elegant Côte-Rôtie, and for a reason. The Syrah planted at Domaine de Sulauze is a small berried clone sourced directly from old vines in Côte-Rôtie – an ancient clone called “Serine” which is said to make the greatest of all by many vigneron I have met in the Northern Rhone. There’s a freshness to the style I can only describe as a kind of life force, stemming from what Karina and Guillaume have chosen to do (or in one case, not to do) in the cellar.
To start, they employ carbonic maceration for fermentation. This is the practice where whole grape bunches are sealed up in stainless steel under a veil of carbon dioxide to exclude oxygen. The fermentation begins this way, without yeast, at an ‘intracellular’ level (yeasts come into play later on down the line). Carbonic maceration results in a brighter, more perfumed, less tannic style of wine, and that is in evidence here: The cassis and blackberry fruit of Syrah is clearly on display, as is some of the cherry-red sweetness of Grenache, but it’s not presented in a glycerol-rich style.
The Lefèvres also choose not to add any sulfur dioxide during the winemaking process (and only the smallest-possible amount before bottling). In many cases – because sulfur is not just an antioxidant but a disinfectant – the choice not to sulfur a wine can result in funky ‘off’ flavors (from bacterial infection) or straight-up oxidation of a wine right out of the gate. Not here. Choosing to go low- or no-sulfur means working with the most pristine, hand-selected fruit, fruit that’s healthy and clean enough to withstand the fermentation process without the (time-honored) aid of sulfur. ‘Natural’ winemaking is fueled by the very noble, idealistic desire to “add nothing” – especially any chemical compound, however naturally derived – to a wine. When it works out like “Les Amis” does, it’s incredibly gratifying for producer and consumer alike.
As I tasted “Les Amis” 2015 I kept thinking of how a Hollywood agent might pitch a script to a studio (“It’s ‘Rain Man’ meets ‘Terms of Endearment.’ Can’t miss!”). I kept experiencing little mini-flashbacks to other great French reds with incredible life in the glass (Marcel Lapierre’s Beaujolais for one; Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape for another) until I settled on a little pitch of my own: It’s like Côte-Rôtie meets Burgundy meets the Mediterranean. And it doesn’t miss!
The other way I’d describe this wine is that it is downright joyful. In the glass it is a vibrant ruby-red edging toward purple, the scents of perfectly ripe strawberry recalling the clarity and purity of Rayas’ line of wines, the darker notes of olive, sage, violet, cassis, and blackberry sending Syrah to the fore. There’s no oak influence to speak of (the wine is aged in large, used barrels for 9 months), but the well-integrated tannins and prominent minerality offer texture and grip. The mixture of sweet, ripe fruit and meaty, almost smoky savor – and the overall depth of flavor – is extraordinary at this price.
For all of its lilt and energy there’s also power here, enough to take on something like a
classic Provençal daube de boeuf this winter – preferably at a rowdy holiday table crowded with friends, family, and lots of open bottles. “Les Amis” by the way, means “Friends” and the exuberance of the wine is best shared in good company. If drinking in its youth, please decant the wine for 30-45 minutes as there could be a touch of reduction, the opposite of oxidation, this is totally normal if a wine has been minimally handled and will blow off very quickly in the decanter. Serve it cool, around 60 degrees or just above, in Burgundy stems, and be sure to have more than one bottle on hand. It’s that good, and that affordable.
