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Maxim Magnon 'Rozeta' 2019

The Corbières AOC is a large and geographically diverse one, extending from coastal plains along the Mediterranean (home to massive tracts of ultra-productive vineyards) to the foothills of the Pyrenées in the south and west of the zone. Magnon’s 14 hectares of vines are situated in the latter “Hautes-Corbières” (upper Corbières) sub-zone, at elevations reaching up to 500 meters. The steep slopes here are characterized by an extremely thin topsoil over a rocky mix of limestone and schist, and it should go without saying that all vineyard work is done by hand.

In 2002, Burgundy native Maxime Magnon settled in the Corbières region and more precisely in Villeneuve-les-Corbières. Before that he worked with Jean Foillard, Philippe Valette and Thierry Allemand, three big names! further he was inspired by Didier Barral, his neighbour, he reintroduced goats, donkeys and cows (Chamomile the cow is pictured in this email). The vines are manually tended with the help of a small tracked vehicle (like Barral). In order to preserve the soils, neither pesticides nor insecticides are used. And from November to mid-April, the animals graze among the vines, which encourages microbial activity in soils.

All grapes are manually harvested in to small crates and taken to a cold room before being whole bunch fermented at ambient temperature in open top casks using only indigenous yeasts. Following the fermentation the wines are élevaged in either cement tanks or old barrels (from Burgundy) before being bottled without fining or filtration.

2019 Corbières Rouge 'Rozeta' 14% .alcohol is blended from mostly old vines Carignan and the rest Grenache and Syrah; it’s got bright, caressingly soft and velvety bright and pure fruit that has incredible freshness and clarity and a stony, sappy core — Jean Foillard’s influence here has produced an incredibly stylish wine that tastes like a Languedocian version of  his famous Morgon 'Cote du Py' -  it’s the combination of fruit concentration and mineral savour that puts it on par with some of the greatest red wines of France, from Cru Beaujolais to Cornas and beyond. It defies classification in the most delicious way.