Here’s a show-stopping blend of ancient bush-trained Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah, grown on terraces of crumbling limestone in a forgotten corner of the Languedoc, which combines the warm concentration of old-vines Châteauneuf-du-Pape with the vibrant elegance of fine Côte Rôtie. I know you will like it. We poured Le Grand Pas at the tasting table when Julien and Delphine were here last November, and the wine was gone in an hour and a half.

OK, there wasn’t a lot to begin with. Most had already been reserved by top sommeliers in France (so if you miss this offering you can drink Le Grand Pas at Joël Robuchon or Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, or at Michel Bras in Laguiole, which is arguably the greatest restaurant in France).

When I last saw Julien Zernott in November of 2008, Le Grand Pas was still strictly allocated. Top restaurants were clamoring for more, and construction on his new state-of-the-art winery was nearing completion. Then suddenly the music stopped, and Julien was caught in the whipsaw of contracting restaurant demand in France, and his newly incurred debt. So he made us an unprecedented special offering on his flagship wine. And the right thing to do is to pass it directly along to you.

Our customers saved over $10 per bottle when we offered the wine on one of our “special offerings.”

Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette:
Julien Zernott was already a star when he and his wife Delphine Rousseau found these ancient terraced vineyards at the foot of the plateau du Larzac, where the Massif Central crumbles down onto the plain leading to the Mediterranean. As the technical director at Domaine Henri Pellé in Menetou-Salon, Julien was one of the Loire Valley’s top winemakers.

But the Loire was too crowded for Delphine, who wanted to raise her growing family in quieter surroundings. Here, in a place where time seems to have stood still for a hundred years, the nearest village is Pégairolles-de-l’Escalette, which has a population of 144.

This wine:
In the glass, this wine has a beautiful deep purple color, almost black at the center. The aromatics are pure garrigue; with lavender, crushed dried violets, ripe black cherries, red currants and fennel. On the palate, there is a lovely core of sweet black fruit that puts on weight as the wine evolves in the glass. The satiny finish is bright and mineral, with fine, silky tannins and fresh acidity. Drink now – 2020.

As always at Moore Brothers, this wine was selected in a personal relationship with an extraordinary producer, and was shipped and delivered to us in refrigerated containers.

Imagine: you could drink it with a civet de sanglier en croûte sauce faugéroise at Restaurant L’Arbousier in Lamalou-les-Bains, about 35 km from Julien and Delphine’s home in Pégairolles de l’Escalette, or you could drink it this weekend at your favorite BYOB, and it will be just as fresh and compelling and delicious.

I invite you take advantage of this special offer, and thank you again for your continued support of these dedicated stewards of our viticultural heritage.

Greg Moore

Priorat – in the steep foothills of the Montsant Mountains west of the Catalan coastal plain – has been known for rustic, undistinguished wines from it’s terraced vineyards planted in the 12th century by the Carthusian Monks.

The potential of it’s old Garnacha (Grenache) and Cariñena (Carignan) vines was long understood but rarely exploited; the labor required to work the hard, slatey soil and steep vineyards was difficult to find and unprofitable.

Recently, the adoption of modern vitcultural techniques has sparked a resurgence. Trio Infernal is 20 hectares of very old vines near the village of Gratallops, brought back to life by three of the Rhône Valley’s most committed wine growers: Laurent Combier, Peter Fischer and Jean-Michel Gerin.

No. 2/3 is century-old Cariñena producing a wine of stunning concentration that manages to be both intensely concentrated and light on it’s feet. Its raspberry and balsamic flavors with pronounced violet overtones are reminiscent of first quality Côte Rôtie.

this is a delicious pairing with aged mountain cheeses or roasted game birds.

Regional History

Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, a 1st Century agronomist, noted that wine imports from Spain were a sure sign of the decline of Roman agriculture. Lucius, as a native of Cadiz, knew well that vines were tended in Spain for at least three thousand years before he was born.

Even under nearly five hundred years of Moorish rule, wine provided coastal Spain with a basis for trade with the outside world, and by 1250 was a thriving part of business with France and England.

However, this widespread trade had little effect on inland wine regions, where both viticulture and winemaking seemed stuck in Roman-era practices.

In the latter half of the 20th Century, modern viticultural and winemaking techniques helped to shape a new respect for the character of the many grapes indigenous to Spain, and the 1980s witnessed an explosion in small, artisan wineries in regions as far-flung as Priorat, Toro, and Ribera del Duero.

Regional Foods
Spanish and Catalan foods include pungent, salty dishes that often combine meat and fish; typical dishes include lamb with cuttlefish, and paella.

Excellent produce, proximity to the sea for fish, olives and olive oil, hot pepper, local tomatoes, oranges and garlic are some of the ingredients typically grown in the region.

The many styles of wine produced here are indicative of the broad variety of foods available.

Rosés accompany the langoustine and even lighter meat dishes. The powerfully flavored red wines accompany everything from paella to lamb, as well as the local sheep milk cheeses.

© Moore Brothers Wine Company

Julien Zernott and his wife, Delphine Rousseau took on the challenge of creating a “domaine” in the stony, hot, arid land of Pégairolles-de-l’Escalette – a tiny commune of 144 inhabitants just north and west of Montpellier.

Julien, with his degrees in viticulture and oenology (as well as a track record of producing outstanding wines in the Loire appellation of Menetou-Salon), and his wife Delphine, have built the domaine from small parcels of old-vine Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and old plantings of Alicante, Aramon, Carignan Blanc, and Terret Bourret.

The soil, such as it is, is carved into steep limestone hillsides. These soils provide “cut” to the richly ripe fruit, and help to restrain yields, resulting in wonderful concentration of flavors.

The farming is organic, leaning towards bio-dynamic, and the fruit is hand-harvested and sorted. The “Le Premier Pas,” is the everyday wine of the domaine – richly flavored, with medium density. A perfect wine for grilled meats.

Regional History
The Languedoc-Roussillon, on France’s Mediterranean coast, forms an arc beginning west of the Rhône to the Spanish border. France’s first vineyards were planted here in what is now Narbonne.

By the late 1800s, the area produced 44% of France’s total output of wine. Greed (and the region’s relatively quick recovery from the devastation of phylloxera), transformed the region into a “wine lake,” known for producing huge amounts of thin wine – often pumped up with richer, imported wines from Algeria and southern Italy.

In the 1970′s and early 1980′s, smaller, high-quality farms began producing substantial, traditional wines, and the trend continues today.

The appellation Côteaux du Languedoc covers a broad expanse of hills overlooking the Mediterranean. This wine comes from just east of Montpellier, an area known for fruit farming as well as wine.

Regional Foods
The marvelously varied cuisine of Provence and further south is defined – but not limited – by its geography.

Proximity to the sea and the mountains often results in plates that combine fish and meat and produce, along with the ubiquitous olive tree.

Two classic, regional dishes reflect this diversity: brandade melds salt cod, potatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh cream; bouillabaisse brings together local fish such as racasse, langoustine, skate, and squid, plus sausages, served in saffron-scented stews.

Abundant game adorns restaurant menus: boar, duck, antelope, and rabbit (often as rillettes) are common plats du jour, and lamb in form of “la ficelle,” a leg hung by rope over an open flame.

Anchovies from Collioure are eaten grilled and served with rosé. The distinctive olive oils produced here are blended with fresh olives and herbs to make tapenade. Languedoc-Roussillon specifically, supplies France with the first of the season’s peaches, cherries, and apricots.

© Moore Brothers Wine Company