Villa Dondona
The last time I tried to visit Jo Lynch and André Suquet at Villa Dondona in Montpeyroux, there was a petrol strike. This time happily nothing interfered with our plans.
Jo is based in La Barry, the pretty little hamlet outside outside the village of Montpeyroux and has vineyards below le Castellet. She took me for a drive. The views were stunning and the vegetation after the wet spring was lush. There were wild flowers galore. She has given up some of the rented vineyards so that her vineyard holdings now total 8 hectares, all farmed organically. Then we went back to the house for a tasting.
2023 Tour de Rôle, IGP St Guilhem le Désert.
It could be labelled, Mont Baudile, but for obvious reasons Jo prefers the reference to the wonderful abbey. And as you might guess from the name, the wine is a pure Rolle or Vermentino. Malo fait. Some ageing in vat. A little colour. A nicely textured palate with some herbal notes, and on the nose. A slightly bitter finish - un joli amer. Fresh firm fruit.
2023 L’Esperel, AOP Languedoc - 14.00€
I have a soft spot for this wine. There was a year when I was judging for the annual competition of the wines of the valley of the Hérault, and Jo had submitted her very first vintage of L’Esperel, the 2010 vintage and it won the white wine prize. It is now a blend of Vermentino, Grenache Gris and Roussanne. The original blend was Vermentino, Grenache Blanc and Marsanne but the composition has changed as Jo has given up some vineyards. Malo fait. Elevage in vat, but no bâtonnage.
Light colour. Lightly herbal nose and palate. With the other grape varieties, the palate becomes more elegant and with more depth, thanks to the new blend. There is some very satisfying mouthfeel and texture. Again un joli amer on the finish. And the wine simply did not need any ageing in barrel. It already has sufficient depth.
2021 Carignan, Chemin des Cayrades, St Guilhem le Désert - 13.00€
A chemin of cayrades is a path lined with solid blocks of stone, and that is what this vineyard adjoins. Jo saved the vines; they were about eighty years old and in a very bad state, suffocating with ivy and wild clematis, when she took them over about 20 years ago. So she gave them lots of TLC with careful pruning, replacing the original branches.
Deep colour. Lots of berry fruit on the nose, and palate. Red fresh fruit. Quite a sturdy wine with some structure and some supple tannins. Kept in vat rather than barrels. And retaining the fresh finish of Carignan. A lovely example of a decried grape variety. I think and hope that the tide is turning and that people are realising how suitable Carignan is for the warm conditions of the Languedoc.
The quantity of Chemin des Cayrades is tiny, as Jo only has 18 ares, which produces an average of 25 hls. ha. As she said it is only for people who adore Carignan. I counted myself lucky to have a bottle opened for me.
2021 Grenache, Que du Grenache, St Guilhem le Désert - 12.00€
Medium colour. Liqueur cherry fruit on the nose, so typical of Grenache. Quite a smooth silky palate, with some good fruit and some tannin, and a bit of alcohol on the finish as it is heady 15°
2020 Villa Dondona, Montpeyroux
A blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache. One year ageing in vat followed by two in bottle. Quite a deep young colour. Spicy red fruit on the touch, and a hint smokey, along with the herbs of the garrigues. Nicely balanced on the palate with some rounded spicy fruit and supple tannins. Very satisfying.
2019 Oppidum, Montpeyroux
60% Mourvèdre with 40% Syrah. Elevage in new barriques of Tronçais oak for twelve months. A light toasting. Good colour. A touch of oak on the nose. Firm and smoky on the palate. Quite solid and rounded, with supple tannins, forming a good backbone. Ripe fruit, and quite a fleshy palate, making a harmonious whole with some ageing potential.
2004 Oppidum
This was a treat - Jo’s very first vintage. Good colour, with some colour development. Elegantly cedary notes on nose and palate. Some tannin, A touch of acidity. Some leathery notes; some prunes. Lots of nuances. Evolving elegantly and maybe a little dry on the finish. But none the less a lovely glass of wine. The bottle had not left their hillside cellar in 20 years. It is always such a privilege to be offered a first vintage.
2002 Dame Mourvèdre, Montpeyroux
Aged in vat and bottle. Deep colour; with a smoky nose. A serious mouthful of wine, with smoky structured fruit, with balance and depth. In theory there should be a second grape variety; in practice the quantity is infinitesimal!!
And then we tried the 2015 Dame Mourvèdre, which was maturing beautifully, with some smokey notes, and some tannins balancing the fruit, with an elegant finish. I quizzed Jo as to whether she had ever tasted her Mourvèdre alongside a Bandol. Something to be tried when she next comes to London.
Jo is a very talented artist so she has designed all her own labels.
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