The Story:

It’s not often that you get to taste a new domaine’s first vintage, but that’s what happened when I visited Mas Delgi. In this case, it was their blanc  from 2020, a very decent viognier. Gilles Giraud had been growing grapes for the local co-operative for years, but wanted to make the move to his own. So in 2020, they started with 12,000 bottles of Mas Delgi; in 2021, it was 19,000 bottles. He still gives quite a lot of his crop to the cooperative, but the idea is that he and Delphine steadily transition production entirely to their own label.

Their new cave stands isolated about a mile outside Tourbes and quirkily doubles up as a drop-off point for the delivery of ovens, fridges and white goods. Local people come there to pick up a fridge and discover they can buy wine too! Meanwhile, for the wine part of the business, several vast stained steel tanks have been delivered and stand at the side of the cave, brand new, waiting for this year’s crop to begin their new role in life. People were always popping in and out through the tasting.

As for the wines, the muscat, which won a gold medal at the Concours de Paris had all gone, so I couldn’t taste it, but I had their others. Their emphasis is on finesse and fruit rather than power and tannin; in a way, it’s a decision forced on you when you don’t have much equipment. Of the single varietals, their best are a merlot called Torves, a satisfactory blend of three different parcels (Price Band A), and a super Vielles Vignes Carignan (Price Band B), which doesn’t try too hard and is really rather delicious. They also – as you might expect - do a blend of syrah, grenache and carignan, and are looking to expand their range with a sweet one made using ‘passerillage’ i.e. made sweet by drying rather than botrytis.

In time, doubtless, there will be more complexity in these wines. As yet, they aren’t the best in the region, but they are enjoyable and fairly priced.