The Story:

Arjolle is one of the powerhouse domaines in the Côtes de Thongue. Louis Marie Teisserenc was one of the pioneers along with Jacques Boyer, Louis Delhon and Michel Cros, who brought the Côtes de Thongue into existence. Today, this domaine embodies much of the spirit of the place; a can-do mentality, a desire for innovation alongside a respect for tradition, and also a sense of fun. Crucially, the wines are excellent.

One example of innovation is that they were the first domaine in France to plant zinfandel, and these vines are now thirty years old and producing nicely (though still termed ‘Vin de France’ as it’s not one of the grapes allowed to be called ‘Côtes de Thongue’); ten years later, they planted carmenere and they are now thinking about petite arvine, more normally found in Switzerland. In terms of innovation in the cellar, a good example is their new Zero alcohol range, made by vacuum distillation.

They are happy to try out a cuvée, and if it doesn’t work, rethink it with a different blend of grapes or a different method of vinification; that said, they have hit the jackpot with some classic combinations. Their flagship red and white, called Paradoxe, are from blends they settled upon twenty-plus years ago (syrah- grenache- cabernet- merlot and viognier-sauvignon blanc respectively), and they don’t need to adjust them any more; it’s just a question of delivering the goods each year. In other cases, they’ve readjusted the blends, notably their prestige Arlequin wine, which is totally different from how it was ten years ago.

They make over twenty wines each year, from thirteen different grape varieties. The method behind their madness is that the geology around Pouzolles is absolutely chaotic, even by the standards of the Côtes de Thongue, and so the stony slope that grows great syrah is cheek by jowl with a clay-filled plain that delivers their sauvignon. So many terroirs, so many grapes… so many wines. They have the base material to make combinations that aren’t possible for most wineries and they use it to the full.

What’s there not to like? It’s this. While there is something for everyone here, most of their wine that currently makes it to the UK (and the Wine Society are big importers of their Equilibre range) is good and competitively priced, but a long way from Arjolle’s best wine. Just a few euros more, and you get some sensational stuff. The challenge is that medium to high end ‘Côtes de Thongue’ is a tricky sell for the UK and even Arjolle haven’t fully pulled off this trick just yet.

To the wines. There are so many wines here that you can’t get hold of them all. As a guide, if it says ‘Equilibre’, it’s their entry level; if it says ‘Equinoxe’, it’s got claims to some stature; if it says ‘Paradoxe’, then it’s their top wine.

It’s a huge range; here are seven highlights:

• F Blanc, Sauvignon. A terrific example of single varietal sauvignon, with more roundness and less acidity than you might expect. (Price Band B).

• Equinoxe - Chardonnay. A real Goldilocks chardonnay. Lovely nose, but not too full; lovely round mouth feel, but not over the top; lovely blending with oak, but just held back enough. This is simply excellent. (Price Band C)

• Equinoxe –Brut de Cave Sans Sulfites, Rouge. This rides the wave of the trend for wines made without any sulphur, made to drink young, as if straight out of the barrel: it’s tremendously fresh and enjoyable. This year, it was a merlot – cinsault blend. (Price Band C)

• Equinoxe - Rosé. A small fraction of the cabernet franc-cabernet sauvignon blend is vinified in wood, and that gives it a touch of substance without losing the fun of the fact that this is still Mediterranean rosé. Tremendous. (Price Band C)

• Paradoxe Blanc. Their original top red blend was called ‘Paradoxe’, because it blended Mediterranean grapes (syrah and grenache) with Atlantic grapes (cabernet sauvignon and merlot). That’s great too. Here, they created a white equivalent, but settled on a viognier and sauvignon as the key grapes. The viognier lends a floral perfume; the sauvignon gives it a cutting edge and the result is a simply classic wine, absolutely emblematic of what the Cotes de Thongue can do on a good day. Massively pleasurable (Price Band D).

• Arlequin – Red. (Price Band DD) The name has had a long history at this estate, but the wine has completely changed. When I tasted ‘Arlequin’ twelve years ago, I wasn’t that impressed. It just felt like it was trying too hard, and I wasn’t the only one; it didn’t have the take-up by consumers they wanted it to. So they went back to the drawing board and realised that what they wanted to do was not so much a wine of fulsome opulence, but a ‘thorough-bred’ of a wine; like a race horse that’s all beauty and with no unnecessary flesh. They have succeeded. There is a beautiful purity in the fruit here: it’s a syrah lead, supported by cabernet and grenache. They are asking for top dollar, but it really delivers. If you were to be hyper critical, you might say it doesn’t speak of the place so much: I’m not sure you’d be able to pick this as a Languedoc wine; but this is splitting hairs. Arlequin is simply magnificent; in years where the Wine Society pick some up, you’d be wise to take it.

• Zero Sparkling. (Price band B)

All their zero alcohol range is worth a go, but this one stood out. Frankly, you could serve this at a garden party and not many would spot the difference. A triumph of winemaking. Overall, their Zero range has been astonished them with its popularity. It only launched four years ago but is popular both in France and on the export market. ( With regard to the others, the red is improving; the dry white recently won an award; its nose is perfect, but inevitably it lacks a bit of substance.)