Danjou-Banessy La Truffiere Rouge 2023

Sébastien and Benoit Danjou farm 17 hectares of old vines in the Roussillon village of Espira-de-l'Agly, and they have spent the last two decades rewriting the script on what wine from this hot southern corner of France can taste like. The farming is organic-going-on-biodynamic, the cellar work is minimal and reductive, and the wines come out brighter, more lifted, and more pinot-like than anything you'd expect from the region. La Truffière is their single-vineyard cuvée from black schist and limestone soils, an old-vine blend of Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre handled with whole-cluster fermentation and no fining or filtering. The result is a Roussillon red with a pale mid-ruby color, gorgeous red fruit and herbs, real minerality, and a finish that's almost weightless. One of the appellation's most distinctive bottlings.