2010 Southern France

The magic of Eloi Durbach’s Mediterranean vineyard stems not only from the natural beauty of the Beaux-de-Provence setting, with its gentle rolling hills and aromas of scrub, thyme and rosemary, not only from its romantic genesis and on-going connections with the bohemian world of painting and sculpture, but also from the simple philosophy which has informed the winemaking itself. Eschewing the dictates of Appellation Contrôleé and no friend of techniques such as destemming, filtration or the use of cultured yeasts, Eloi has ploughed on ( probably with a horse) and built a reputation for this wonderful wine with labels drawn by his late father, each subtly different , each designed to capture something of the essence of the vintage in question.

A propos, the 2010 is an outstanding example and therefore logically will merit a label which captures the colours and contours of a perfect season. The wine repays the compliment; the blend is divided equally between Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, the former lending an elegant Palladian structure, the later bright arboreal colour…..or in wine speak, firm but finely-etched tannins and a measured density of fruit, with blackberry and black cherry to the fore, and behind that hints of bay laurel and distant autumnal bonfires. The achievement of interloping Cabernet Sauvignon into these warm Provençal vineyards has been significant, and has no better illustration than the 2010 vintage.

Mas Jullien’s 15 hectares are fortuitously nestled in the highly sought after ‘Terrasses du Larzac’, the vineyard equivalent of Biarritz for the well to do Parisian. The cépage is made up of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan, vinified by parcel prior to blending.

The 2010 is a touch more serious than its sunny and outgoing predecessor, however given time it will unfurl; revealing a wine of superb concentration and balance. The nose is brooding with notes of blackcurrant, wild strawberry and gunpowder whilst the palate is a booming crescendo of sweet tannins, linear acidity, damson, chocolate and freshly ground coffee, all marching in unison. 
Nicholas Stewart, Wine Buying