COLOUR
Red
TYPE
Still
VINTAGE
2016
GRAPE
Mourvèdre, Syrah
PRODUCER
Domaine Léon Barral
REGION
Languedoc-Roussillon
CHARACTERISTICS
Body
Full
Sweetness
Dry
Acidity
Medium - High
Finish
Long
Intensity
Pronounced
Tannins
AROMAS & FLAVOURS
ABOUT THIS WINE
Domaine Léon Barral is a legendary estate in the Faugères appellation of the Languedoc, led by the pioneering Didier Barral. Renowned as a beacon of biodynamic and natural winemaking, Barral views his estate as a self-sustaining ecosystem. He famously integrates livestock, including cows, horses, and pigs, into the vineyards to naturally manage cover crops and aerate the soil. The 'Valinière' cuvée is the estate's flagship offering, named after a small stream bordering the vineyard. It is a profound expression of Mourvèdre grown on the region's signature schist soils, showcasing incredible depth, structure, and wild, rustic complexity.
ALCOHOL
14.0%
AVG. PRICE
€65
STYLE
Natural
VEGAN
YES
SULPHITES
When to drink
Now or Later
Ideal temperature
16-18°C
INTERESTING FACTS
Fact 01
Didier Barral allows a herd of cows and pigs to roam his vineyards during the winter months to naturally fertilize and plow the soil.
Fact 02
The cuvée is named after the Valinière, a small, cool stream that runs alongside the schist-rich vineyard parcels.
Fact 03
Barral utilizes a vertical basket press from the 19th century to achieve an incredibly gentle extraction of the grape juice.
FOOD PAIRING
Read more
WINE MAKING PROCESS
The winemaking process at Domaine Léon Barral is strictly non-interventionist. Grapes are harvested entirely by hand at extremely low yields. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in traditional cement vats. Didier Barral employs long macerations of up to three to four weeks with manual punching down of the cap to gently extract structure. The wine is aged for 24 to 30 months in wood barrels, primarily older oak, to allow the intense Mourvèdre tannins to soften naturally. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered, with no added sulfur dioxide, preserving the raw energy of the terroir.
