Worker Bees' Cuvée 2024
- Retail
- £35.00
- Member
- £28.00
- Case
- £210.00
- Case (Member)
- £168.00
- Varieties
- Grenache Noir
- Vintage
- 2024
- Country
- France
- Region
- Roussillon
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Bottle Size
- 750ml
- Description
A single barrel made with the help of our 'Worker Bees' - 35 Wine Club Members (in 2024) who came out for the weekend to harvest and tread the grapes - and then have a jolly good dinner.
This year, Worker Bees' Cuvée is 100% Grenache from a plot called 'Le Mas', belonging to Marc Majoral.
Only 295 bottles were made.
- Eyes
- A very bright, vibrant cherry red
- Nose
- Powerfully fruit-driven, ripe plum and strawberry compote, with a very gentle hint of oak.
- Mouth
- A classic Maury Grenache, full of ripe, rich, fresh black fig and damson flavours, and a bright herbal freshness. A serious wine that will repay ageing for 3-5 years
- Body
- full
- Winemaking notes
- We had such a tiny (and early) harvest that we had picked all of our grapes by the time of our harvest weekend, so we asked Marc Majoral if we could keep back a part of his 'Le Mas' block for us to pick. With 35 pickers, it didn't take long! After a picnic lunch, each picker in turn tipped a couple of boxes of whole bunches into an open barrel and then trod them with their (scrupulously cleaned) bare feet. The barrel was chilled for a few days to allow extraction of as much fruit and colour as possible, and then warmed up gently to ferment for 10 days with twice daily punchdowns. After pressing, the wine was aged in a single 3-year-old 225L barrel for 15 months. Thanks to everyone who has had a hand (and a foot) in our delicious barrel - Aidan, Ali, Amanda, Andy, Annie, Caroline, Christine, Colette, Emma, Harvinder, Ian F, Ian H, Irene, Jennifer, John, Justin, Karen, Kati, Mairi, Maria, Mark Power, Mark Pring, Melanie, Michelle, Mike, Nicola P, Nicola S, Paul, Phyllida, Sarah A, Sarah G, Simon McM, Simon P, Susanne, Tânia, Tod
- Growing Conditions
- 2024 was the third year in a row of drought in the Roussillon region, and after a winter of low rainfall, the vines did not produce a large crop. Adequate rain at the end of April ensured than vines in most areas were at least able to flower and set a crop, and another very dry summer followed, ensuring small yields and high concentration. We avoided to extreme 40+ heat of previous summers, and the reds from 2024 are expressive and detailed in their fruit profile. September was ideal - warm days at 24-29, and cool nights of 10-15. The Members' Harvest Weekend took place on the 27-29th September, and we picked 500Kg of grapes from Marc Majral's 'Le Mas' block in a relatively speedy morning of picking, with 35 pickers. We then had a picnic lunch under Marc's mulberry trees.