Domaine of the Bee 2022
- Retail
- £28.00
- Member
- £22.40
- Case
- £168.00
- Case (Member)
- £134.40
- Varieties
- Grenache Noir, Carignan
- Vintage
- 2022
- Country
- France
- Region
- Roussillon
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Bottle Size
- 750ml
- Drinking Window
- 2024 - 2036
- Description
- Our Flagship red is made from our best barrels of Grenache and Carignan, and since 2019 has been classified as Maury Sec (before this we classified our wine as Cotes du Roussillon Villages, or Cotes Catalanes). The vineyards are the same three blocks we have owned since 2006, the grapes taste the same, but we've upped the Grenache component to 60%, which is the minimum permissable for Maury Sec.
- Eyes
- The year's wine is a dark rich velvety red - reflecting the ripe vintage, and small bunches.
- Nose
- An intoxicating aroma full of ripe, fleshy, dark-skinned plums and a suggestion of subtly-spiced oak
- Mouth
- Deliciously rich and smooth, the mouth is filled with compote of ripe figs, spiced plums and kirsch, with a suggestion of liqueur chocolate - yet the palate is bright and fresh, with delightfully cleansing pithy tannins, and a hint of garrigue herbs.
- Body
- full
- Winemaking notes
- All our grapes for Domaine of the Bee were hand harvested, and then hand-sorted at the winery to ensure we only chose the healthiest and ripest grapes. The first Carignan to be picked is fermented in a stainless steel tank. The rest of the Carignan, and all of the Grenache is cold-macerated in upturned demi-muids (500L barrels) with the ends taken out, before being warmed up, inoculated with yeast, and gently punched down 2-3 times a day. After pressing, all of the wine was drained into a mixture of 500L and 225L barrels, approximately a quarter of which are new, and left to mature for 16 months.
- Growing Conditions
- The Winter of 2021/22 was uncharacteristically dry, with 'normal' rain in April and May giving the vines enough moisture to commence the season's growth, and the lovely dry period during flowering in late May / June ensure the 'sortie' (successful flowering) was excellent, with LOADS of bunches. There then followed an exceptionally dry July and August which had us fearing that the vines would stop ripening, and that the grapes would just shrivel. Some relieving light rain in September kept the vines respiring, and we managed to harvest a good crop of plentiful bunches with very small grapes - with exceptional flavours.
Reviews
Jamie Goode
https://wineanorak.com/2024/08/23/domaine-of-the-bee-interesting-wines-from-the-roussillon/August 23, 2024
93/100 "From the vineyard parcels they have owned since 2006. This is a selection of the best barrels of Grenache (60%) and Carignan (40%), and since 2019 has been classified as Maury Sec. Fermented in up-turned barrels, then aged in barrel (25% new). This is satisfyingly rich, with some spicy oak in the background providing structural support for the bold, ripe, sleek berry and cherry fruits. There’s some nice spiciness here, and more freshness than I remember from previous vintages. Smooth, complete and harmonious with nice intensity, but also a mellow side."
Tamlyn Currin - www.jancisrobinson.com
https://www.jancisrobinson.com/tastings?search-full=Domaine+of+the+BeeJuly 22, 2024
17.5/20 "An outrageous abundance of luscious red-cherry fruit, sweet cinnamon spices and thyme. Yes, it's a big wine (15% alcohol), but the balance is pitch perfect. The flood of fruit is gleaming with freshness (not a hint of jamminess or cooked fruits), cool with the breath of night wind through garrigue, and the tannins are so voluptuously ripe that it feels as if you might be able to suck grape juice out of them. Impossible, surely, to not fall in love with this glorious wine."
Tom Cannavan
https://wine-pages.com/tasting-notes/domaine-of-the-bee-maury-sec-2022/August 19, 2024
93/100 "From the estate's best barrels of Grenache and Carignan from their own vineyards, the Grenache component being increased to 60% allows them to bottle this as Maury Sec rather than more generic regional appellations. After fermentation in a mixture of steel and large oak barrels, it matures for 16 months in 225- and 500-litre barrels, a quarter of which are new. Deep colour and equally deep scents of plum compote, blueberry and warm Christmas spices. There's that background suggestion of a violet-like lift. In the mouth all about dark, brooding fruits that are ripe and sweet, with a bittersweet cocoa element and a carpet of chocolaty tannin. It's a big and substantial wine this, but crucially there is freshness to the acidity in the long, spicy finish. Wine Club members buy for £22."