Domaine of the Bee - an update
Dinky little bottles from Domaine of the Bee arrived in the post the other day, providing the opportunity of an update on this enterprising Roussillon estate, run by Justin Howard Sneyd and his wife Amanda. All the names of their wines are an amusing play on words, related to the bee!
Sadly the white wine, Field of the Bee, a blend of Grenache. Gris and Grenache Blanc was broken in transit. I did wonder why my parcel was wrapped up in strong plastic.
2023 Bee Pink, Côtes du Roussillon Rosé - £16.00
A blend of 80% Grenache Noir and 20% Syrah and a modest 12.5%. Delicate pale pink. fresh dry nose with hints of raspberry and more raspberries on the palate. Nicely rounded with a refreshing finish. £16.00
2023 The Bee-Side, IGP Côtes Catalanes - £20.00
Pure Grenache. Young bright, medium red colour. Very vibrant. A rounded nose with some red fruit and some leathery notes. A touch of spice and garrigue. A more fragrant palate, with ripe red fruit and a streak of supple tannins. Nicely mouth filling and a modest 13.5%, with a fresh finish.
2022 Carignan, IGP Côtes Catalanes - £25.00
Quite deep young colour. A firm dry spicy nose, with some red fruit on the palate. The fruit is balanced by a firm streak of tannin. A much studier wine than the Grenache, which is what you would expect from Carignan.
2022 Maury Sec - £27.50
A blend of 60% Grenache, 40% Carignan. and a heady 15%. Medium colour. Some fragrant Grenache spice on the nose and a ripe mouthfilling palate.balanced with a firm streak of tannin. A ripe finish. Appealing and youthful. It wears the 15% very lightly. This could not be described as heavy.
2022 Les Genoux, or knees! Maury Sec - £50.00
70% Grenache, 20% Carignan and 5% each of Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris. A single vineyard. Quite a light colour. Ripe spicy red fruit. Perfumed and nuanced on the palate. Fragrant fruit balanced with a streak of tannin. 13.5% and elegant mouthfilling, harmonious and youthful.
And if you join the club, there are very generous discounts on the prices quoted above. You will also receive Justin's newsletter which had sad news this morning about the size of the harvest. It took them less than five hours one morning to pick their grapes, with this comment.
The average yield in the Pyrenees Orientales in a typical year is 27 hectolitres per hectare (2,700 litres). This is already one of the lowest yields in France.
In this third year of the Catalan drought (it has affected the Spanish side of the border just as badly), yields this year probably won't exceed 15hl/ha. And in the unirrigated areas (most of the department), this may be lower than 10hl/ha.
Most people are talking about yields down between 50% to 80%
And today, 20th September, is International Grenache Day. so do crack open a bottle of Grenache this evening!
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