Les Petites Jamelles Pays d'Oc rouge

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

The Petites Jamelles is made with Grenache and Carignan grapes from 15- to 20-year-old vines, in which more than half are vinified using thermovinification, and the rest are vinified traditionally. This combination of processes creates a wonderful dimension and complexity.

With a deep crimson color, it has an ABV of about 12.5%. It has aromas of ripe red and black fruits, spices, pepper, and cinnamon. It’s round and soft on the palate, lively and fruity in flavor, with velvety, silky tannins. It has a warm, fruity finish.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

The Les Petites Jamelles is best paired with Mediterranean cuisine. But it’s also great with pasta carbonara, roasted pork or lamb, barbeque, or a fish and vegetable tajine.

DESTINY FROM THE START

Catherine and Laurent Delauney, both descendants of winegrowers, met in 1986, while studying oenology in university. Laurent, after graduating, met with a cousin whose fiancé was a winemaker in Napa Valley, California. It sparked something in Laurent—a curiosity about New World wines. So armed with this curiosity, he left for the United States where he spent a year immersing himself. Once he got back to France, he had a renewed vigor to create his own varietal wines. He and Catherine set out to Languedoc, a region undergoing great changes at a time when Burgundy, where they came from, had little opportunity for young winemakers. It was when they met Melyn Master, a specialist in the US market and a friend of Laurent’s father, that their wine dreams truly started coming together. They worked together to create varietal wines from scratch, going against traditional French approach, foregoing the notions of terroir in favor of varietal. They named this project, “Les Jamelles.”

Storage Instructions

Store unopened red wines in a cool, dry, and dark place safe from constant vibration. Keep your bottle horizontal in a wine rack or cellar to retain the moistness of the cork. The ideal temperature for storage is between 16 to 18°C. Once opened, a bottle will be good for 3 to 5 days standing upright in the refrigerator.