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Domaine de l’Horizon, “L’Esprit” Rouge

Roussillon, France 2017 (750mL)
Regular price$36.00
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Domaine de l’Horizon, “L’Esprit” Rouge

Wine is limitless: Every time you think you’ve uncovered the last soul-stirring, barrier-breaking creation of the world, a grower in an extreme and equally obscure locale sneaks into the mix and reimagines the gold standard. For us, it’s the thrilling talent behind Domaine de l’Horizon. This largely one-man operation resides in the town of Calce, where the population peaks at 200, maybe 250, on a good year. And yet, with the underground following and widespread critical praise l’Horizon attracts (along with neighbors like Domaine Gaudry, Jean-Philippe Padie, and Olivier Pithon), one would think this blip-on-the-radar hamlet is a major wine epicenter like Hermitage or Châteauneuf-du-Pape.


But let me be very clear: Today’s “L’Esprit” isn’t something you’ll see on a retail shelf, nor is it a wine that will stand out on a list, unless your ear is firmly trained to the ground. That’s the beauty of it. These wines are for those who filter out the extraneous white noise and absorb the legitimate insider buzz around the industry—and that’s why we’re so energized to be offering it. Last year, we were given a few cases of this precious and unbelievably elegant Syrah/Carignan blend—from some of the oldest vines in Côtes Catalanes, no less—and they rocketed out of our warehouse in a matter of hours. Domaine de l’Horizon may produce quantities of pitiful proportions, but each wine is a profoundly magnificent creation bursting with vivid soil character and unrivaled finesse. We expect everyone to take full advantage of what little we have today.


The area known as the Côtes Catalanes sits in the shadow of the eastern Pyrenees, right near the French/Spanish border, and as its name suggests, is more a ‘Catalonian’ territory than it is a French (or Spanish) one. It may technically be part of France’s Roussillon for wine-classification purposes, but it is distinct in every way—as exemplified by today’s wild and fascinating red from Domaine de l’Horizon. Located in Calce (yes, that’s all of it), the same village as legend Domaine Gauby, and blessed with some of the oldest vines in the region, l’Horizon is a mind-bogglingly delicious departure from what most wine people expect from the extreme south of France.



Perched in the windswept foothills of the Pyrenees, about 10 kilometers northwest of Perpignan, Domaine de l’Horizon has been a sommelier sensation since Teibert founded the estate in the mid-2000s. Born in Germany, Teibert has had a varied and successful career in wine: He worked for a time as the winemaker at Manincor in Italy’s German-speaking Alto Adige, and also did a stint as a barrel broker for the bespoke Austrian cooper Stockinger. Meeting Gérard Gauby and tasting Gauby’s soulful, biodynamically farmed wines was a game-changer for Teibert, who promptly set up shop in the same town—the aptly named, limestone-rich village of Calce—and even acquired some old vines that Gauby had originally planted. Over time, the Domaine de l’Horizon holdings have grown to about 15 hectares, all of them farmed organically/biodynamically and including some prized plots of Carignan and extremely old-vine Syrah, which are featured in today’s “L’Esprit de l’Horizon” cuvée.



The area in and around Calce is a cool, windy, geologically diverse terroir, formed millions of years ago when the Iberian and Eurasian land masses collided to create the Pyrenees—and a mashup of slate and limestone/marl. It’s a place that feels both a mountain and Mediterranean influence in equal measure, and it is on display in this wine: There’s dark-fruited concentration balanced by freshness, and a unique mix of stony minerality and dusty, herbaceous notes evocative of the fragrant Mediterranean scrub.



Today’s 2017 is a blend of 60% Carignan and 40% Syrah, said to be among the oldest vines in the area. It was fermented with some whole grape clusters intact (about 30%) and aged 12 months in a mixture of used French oak foudres and demi-muids. The texture is one of the big stories here: it is a plush, beautifully rounded wine that pulses with vivacious energy. In the glass, it’s a deep purple-ruby with hints of magenta at the rim, with aromas of blackberry, plum, crushed blueberry, baking spices, cacao, lavender, olives, and dusty earth. Medium-plus in body but exceedingly fresh and low in alcohol (on par with Northern Rhône), it is immensely satisfying right now and will continue to thrill over the next 5-7 years. It is such an evocative expression of place—a place I really want to visit—and it seems only logical to seek out a recipe that speaks to that place. The attached recipe captures the Catalan influence of the local food and boy do I want to cook it tonight. Any excuse to pop another bottle of this exceptional wine!

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France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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