There’s still a tendency out there to paint the reds of the Languedoc and southern Rhône with a broad brush. We really need to stop that. For every ultra-ripe, perfectly pleasurable, but otherwise underwhelming hot-climate red from lower-lying terroirs, there’s a mountain-grown alternative—I’m thinking of places like the Terrasses du Larzac, the upper reaches of Corbières, or today’s southern Rhône landmark, the Ventoux, to name but a few.
There’s simply no way to place today’s wine red from Domaine Martinelle in the “baby Châteauneuf” category, other than to describe it as the love child of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Cru Beaujolais. You may not be accustomed to a “G-S-M” (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre blend) with this much vibrancy and perfume, but that’s the calling card of up-and-coming talent Corinna Faravel. It’s precisely in under-regarded (and thus less-expensive) wine zones such as this that an upstart producer can afford to plant a flag and try something new. The soil, climate, and, in many cases, heirloom vines are there; what’s been missing is the will. This wine tastes Mediterranean, but it also reads as a “cool-climate” red wine, with a level of energy and complexity that is rarely—if ever—seen at this price point. This is one of those “Where did that come from?” wines that blows away more-expensive competition and disappears quickly from a crowded table. At just $20, you cannot afford to miss it!
If you take a quick 30-minute jaunt slightly northeast of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, you’ll enter the outskirts of Lafare, located in the northern section of Beaumes-de-Venise (the southern half is known for its naturally sweet, fortified Muscats). This tucked-away commune is home to Domaine Martinelle, a winery founded and run by a one-woman show, Corinna Faravel, who is the wife of Thierry Faravel, co-owner of acclaimed Domaine Bouïssière in Gigondas. Corinna embodies what this blossoming region needs: she’s impassioned, energetic, wise beyond her years, and shows a delicate, hands-off approach so as to let the terroir sing and the wine create itself. She acquired her first plot in 2001, bottled her first vintage solo in 2004, and built a cellar in Lafare in 2009—which made hers a fully-functioning domaine.
Ventoux is cooler than most Southern Rhône appellations. It is a blend of mountain and Mediterranean climate that is protected from harsh elements by Mont Ventoux (the ‘Giant of Provence’) and the sweeping Dentelles de Montmirail, an outcrop of the larger Alps. Corinna first bought slow-ripening, low-yielding vines in these foothills, and the majority of grapes in today’s Ventoux bottling are atop a broad-shouldered slope within them. The soils here are a mixture of clay and iron-rich limestone with ancient volcanic footprints, although her Syrah plantings are at the base of the hill, where poorer soils are present.
The blend is predominantly Grenache (usually 60-75%), healthy portions of Syrah and Mourvèdre, a touch of Carignan, and trace percentages of other local varieties. Her vines range from 10-50 years of age and altitudes can reach nearly 1,000 feet (Châteauneuf-du-Pape is about a third of that). She’s been an organic practitioner since the birth of Martinelle and uses old-fashioned horse and plow in the vineyards. Grapes are hand-harvested and shuttled into cement vats via gravity, where only indigenous yeasts are used. The wine ages underground in cement vessels (allowing for the slightest bit of oxygen exposure) and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
In the glass the wine reveals a dark crimson core with slight pink and light garnet tones on the rim. The nose is of absolute purity, with super high-toned cassis, strawberry, red plum, and cherry blossoms. A fresh wave of savory nature follows: rose petal, garrigue, white pepper, damp forest and crushed stones. The wine is nearing full-bodied on the palate and shows such a pure concentration of fruit while perfectly lifted by freshness. It’s dense without feeling heavy and has a lift on the mid-palate that leads it into a lingering finish full of fruit and savor. This is drinking in its prime right now and will keep over the next 2-5 years. I recommend to quickly decant for 30 minutes then serve in large Burgundy stems at a slightly cooler temp, about 60F. Try it with this delicious Moroccan chicken dish. Cheers!
