I sit here this afternoon struggling to find the right words, but this isn’t about writer’s block or fatigue, and it’s certainly not for a lack of interest—in fact, I could happily pen a full dissertation on Gourt de Mautens’ 2011 rouge. This is a wine of spectacular authenticity, immense nuance, and soul-stirring purity, a contemplative red that demands to be savored alongside the greatest selections of any cellar.
The crux of the issue lies within the region, price, and perceived value: It’s a $79 Vaucluse, a sprawling IGP appellation in the heart of Southern Rhône. Most consumers will see that and immediately glaze over, and it saddens me to think they’ll go an entire lifetime without tasting this. Don’t let that be you! There’s a reason Michelin 3-star restaurants like Alain Ducasse, Le Taillevent, Troisgros, and Guy Savoy now spend their time jostling over tiny allocations, and that critic reviews have been inching ever-closer to an elusive triple-digit score: Vigneron Jérôme Bressy is a rare, once-per-generation talent creating wines of region-shattering pedigree and character. He produces just one old-vine biodynamic red, infused with no less than eight unique grapes, that ages for three years in large barrels and concrete. Forgot comparing it to Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s legendary names, cult Languedocs priced in the hundreds, or even SommSelect-favorite Château Simone. This distinct, world-class red is in a league all its own and is already redefining Southern France’s elite pecking order. Although we only have seven cases to share, total, I can promise that those who do take a leap of faith will forever remember this monumental red.
Rarely does “soil to glass transfer” speak so clearly and profoundly in a wine, but that’s been Jérôme Bressy’s unwavering mission since making his first vintage of Rasteau in 1996 from his father’s organic—now Certified Biodynamic—old vines. In 2010, Rasteau was elevated from Côte du Rhône Villages to a prestigious standalone appellation, similar to neighboring Gigondas to the south. However, he was told in order to label his wines Rasteau, he’d have to heavily rely on Grenache and severely decrease his blending grapes which included Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault, Vaccarèse, and Terret Noir. He refused to comply, and instead began bottling his wines under the larger, catch-all appellation of IGP Vaucluse.
While the dizzying constitution of biodynamic grapes in this wine is a thrilling affair in and of itself, it’s the vines themselves that really make this wine such a striking showpiece. The majority are over 50 years of age, with some crossing over the century threshold, and any that do meet their demise are replanted with the best-performing cuttings of the vineyard; this promotes the genetic diversity of the site. What’s more, maintaining the highest level of vine health is key here because the chalky- and rocky-marl soils are severely nutrient deficient, making for incredibly low yields every year, around 10hl/ha. For comparison, Grand Cru Burgundy has among the lowest yields for dry red wine in France, at 35hl/ha.
Another reason for such a microscopic yield is Bressy’s intense sorting regimen. After a meticulous, scrutinizing hand harvest, the biodynamic grapes are once sorted in the vineyard. They are then loaded in small bins and trucked over to the winery’s staging area where the harvesting team sorts the remaining crop a second time. Not to be outdone, a third and final sorting occurs before the grapes enter the cellar door. At this point, there’s hardly anything left, but what’s there is flawless, highly concentrated vinous gold. A natural, variety-separate fermentation occurs in tronconic oak vats and, depending on the grape, maturation follows in either concrete, foudres, or demi-muids. After a whopping 36 months of aging, the wine is finally blended together and bottled without any fining or filtering.
By modeling the lift, nuance, and elegance of his flagship red after idols Château Rayas and Henri Bonneau in Châteauneuf and Lalou Bize-Leroy in Burgundy, Jérôme Bressy’s 2011 is a breathtaking, deeply complex tour de force. It’s hard to imagine anything in Southern France that could compete with this wine. Its dark-coated, liqueur-like richness and powerful savoriness dominate the glass, unveiling multitudinous layers of brambleberry liqueur, dried black cherry, muddled blackberry, licorice, and Damson plum. But with 10 years of age, there are impressive secondaries and earthy components also at play: smoked herbs, exotic spice, cured meat, vintage leather, anise, baked clay, crushed stone, potpourri. It’s a powerful wine, but one of superb freshness, poise, and purity—leagues away from its alcoholic, highly extracted neighbors. It has all the hallmarks of a blue-chip Bordeaux blend, but then there are hints of Château Simone, followed by CDP and Bandol. It’s such a masterful creation, and I cannot wait to try it again on its 15th and 20th birthday. Bressy has made liquid gold out here, and despite placements in the world’s best restaurants and vertiginously high scores from critics, it remains largely undiscovered. So, do yourself a monumental favor and take advantage of the situation!
