Ventoux is a beautiful, mountainous wine appellation in southern Rhône. It is located northeast of famous wine villages such as Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Next to the vineyards are the impressive limestone massif of Les Dentelles de Montmirail and the Mont Ventoux, the highest mountain of Provence, reaching over 1900 meters.
In 2003, Philippe Gimel, a pharmacist turned oenologist (perhaps the step from blending medicines to blending wine was not that big), created his Domaine Saint Jean du Barroux here in Ventoux. And he turned out to be a very talented winemaker.
The Southern Rhône Valley is a sunny and warm region, and getting ripe grapes is seldom a problem. Philippe’s low yields give concentrated wines but never excessively so (but it does mean the number of bottles of each wine is limited). The nights are cool, so the vines get some rest from the summer heat, and all his wines have a fresh acidity. Philippe has been organically certified for several years.
The red wines of Saint Jean du Barroux
We have tasted five red wines and one white from Saint Jean du Barroux. The wines are flavourful, and the fruit always dominates, without any oak character taking over. Philippe ages his wines in concrete or steel tanks and sometimes in old oak barrels. On his 19 hectares of vines, he has several different soil types and sun exposure. The first wine, La Source, is a blend of different vineyards. The four subsequent red wines come from specific vineyards. Here he wants to showcase the different terroirs.
La Source 2019, Saint Jean du Barroux, AOC Ventoux
The wine has a delicious and intense ripe fruit with fresh acidity and pleasant “lightness” on the palate. The grapes are grenache, carignan and cinsault. The seven days of skin contact is a short time but quite enough, considering how good the wine is. (~16 euro)
L’Argile 2020, Saint Jean de Barroux, AOC Ventoux
Here we have a vineyard with clay soil. The grapes are grenache, syrah, carignan and cinsault. Densely concentrated fruit aromas. This is a full-bodied, southern-style wine where the fruit is at the forefront, but also some spices. It is “easy-drinking” despite the concentration. A superb wine. It was aged in concrete tanks. (~23 euro)
Les Usclades 2020, Saint Jean du Barroux, Vin de France
Les Usclades is the name of a small vineyard plot on the mountainside. The grape is 100 % grenache, showing how lovely this grape can be on its own. The colour is light, as grenache often is, but do not be fooled. The wine is rich in flavour and has the grape’s typical aromas of Provencal herbs mixed with cherries and red fruit. The taste is elegant and fresh, and you drink it with great pleasure. It was aged in concrete tanks. (~35 euro)
Entrevont 2020, Saint Jean du Barroux, AOC Ventoux
Entrevont is a north-facing slope with sandy and stony soil at an altitude of 350 meters. The soil is poor, and the growing conditions are not the easiest. But syrah thrives here, and Entrevont is 100% syrah. The aromas combine ripe, dark fruit with tobacco and leather. The palate is dense and full-bodied, very complex. This is a serious syrah wine, but it is not a heavy wine, thanks to the fresh acidity and the absence of oak. Philippe made only 1581 bottles of this wine (~35 euro)
La Pierre Noir 2018, Saint Jean du Barroux, AOC Ventoux
Grenache dominates in La Pierre Noir and is blended with syrah. The wine is, like all the estate’s wines, very rich in flavours. La Pierre Noir has intense, ripe, dark fruit on the nose, a good tannin structure, some tobacco and dried figs and a long aftertaste in a warm, southern style. The high acidity gives balance to the wine and, as in the other wines, a certain “lightness” despite the concentration. The ageing was mainly in concrete, and a small part of the wine spent time in old oak barrels. (35 euro)
The white wine of Saint Jean du Barroux
La Montagne 2021, Saint Jean du Barroux, AOC Ventoux
The grapes are clairette, grenache blanc and bourbolenc from north-facing vineyards harvested late. Together, they give a full-bodied wine with a lot of colour and density, a great mouthfeel, and aromas of melon and apricot. The fruit is refreshing; the finish is completely dry with a slight slightly bitter note. A very delicious wine. (~35 euro)
The wines are sold in Sweden by Franska Vinkompaniet.
