Domaine de la Grange des Pères
Domaine de la Grange des Pères
A legend unfolds
Wow, what an opportunity to get the quintessential cult wine of Southern France in the glass. For a long time, no one really knew what the future held for the winery, as the cult winemaker Laurent Vaillé passed away unexpectedly in 2021, and the prices for the wine skyrocketed to astronomical heights. Now it's clear, his brother Bernard, who had also been responsible for the wines alongside Laurent for a long time, is continuing the legacy. This is the second vintage released under his hand.
Grange des Pères rouge 2020
The nose practically leaps out at you. Such pure, honest fruit, layered with delicate animalistic notes, some forest floor, and mushrooms. Enchanting. Now come blueberries, currants, iron, fresh leather. Incredibly complex. And it keeps alternating: earth, fruit, meat, back to fruit—this wine unfolds a magic as if you've discovered the wonders of the world—so impressive that a sip almost seems redundant.
On the palate, a true revelation. So velvety and full of energy. So smooth and intense at the same time. So well-balanced, everything is in its right place. The astonishment captures me, and I am speechless. My enthusiasm dances like a pendulum between these fine aromatic nuances. I don't even know where to start—this is truly the epitome of a cult wine.
With increasing aeration, the nose becomes spicier, and more tobacco leaves come into play. On the palate, it becomes tauter; you can feel the freshness and the pull. The strength of this wine certainly lies in its elegance. At first, it deceives you, for its great potential still lies hidden and slumbers behind youthful zest, which delights us already but will undoubtedly gain in depth and radiance in the future.
A Magical Spot on Earth
An insane wine. I'm thrilled. I'd love to add an older vintage to the mix to see how the wine evolves and changes over time. And overall, I want to drink more from this domaine. The whites, too, because Laurent had been mentored by greats like Jean-François Coche-Dury from Meursault, Gérard Chave from Hermitage, and Eloi Durrbach from Domaine Trévallon in Provence. The area around Aniane, the entire Herault department, and the Larzac have been among my favorite regions since my youth. All the more, I can feel a strong connection to this rugged landscape in his wines.
