As we write, we are very fortunate to host Vincent Estevenin, the passionate and bright young grower now leading one of the Southern Rhône’s most respected artisan domaines. Vincent, who joined Domaine de Marcoux in 2014, is the son of Sophie Armenier, who, along with her sister Catherine, elevated this small, pioneering grower from humble beginnings to the highest ranks of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We began importing the Domaine’s wines in 2005, starting with the 2002 vintage. Despite the many challenges of that year, which was panned by the critics, Sophie Armenier made an outstanding Châteauneuf. If Marcoux could make such a beautiful wine from a rotten year, we wondered, what would they make from a great one? We didn’t have to wait long, and have shipped every vintage since. The house style is one of purity, focused fruit and balance, providing a vision back to the classic origins of modern Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Indeed, Rhône authority John-Livingstone-Leamonth has called Marcoux’s emblematic wine, “a true child of its terroir”. And what terroir they have. Over centuries, the family has accumulated an enviable collection of old-vine plots, some dating over a century, spread throughout the appellation’s myriad soils and aspects. This palette of old vineyards, coupled with the Domaine’s notorious sorting, enables Marcoux to craft what Stephen Tanzer has called “…the essence of Châteauneuf-du Pape”. For example, the sandy soils and ancient vines of Charbonnières, on the northern foothill of La Crau plateau, gift Marcoux its most fragrant wines, which are aged in concrete to preserve their purity. To the west, limestone and white clay appear in Les Esqueirons and Beaurenard. Marcoux’s white varieties thrive on these soils, which also lend angle and tension to the red wines. There is a smattering of galets roulés—the region’s iconic river-polished pebbles—at L’Arnesque and Les Bosquets on the Montredon plateau, a high alluvial terrace above the Rhône. Then comes the red clay and gravels of Les Galimardes in the south, whose wines bring texture, flesh, and vitality. The sum of these parts is woven into one of the appellation’s most distinctive wines. No less important is Marcoux’s uncharitable yields. This family are sorting maniacs and routinely declassify a significant portion of fruit and wine in most years. Roughly one-third of the harvest was thrown out or sold off in 2011 and 2018, which explains the outstanding quality they can achieve in more challenging vintages—the 2002 vintage mentioned above is a fine example! Marcoux’s winemaking principles are best described by Sophie Armenier: “We interfere with the vinification as little as possible. We don’t do any pigeage to get color, because we just don’t want to get in the way of the fruit.” There are no yeast additions, no fining and no punch downs. Instead, the grapes undergo lengthy maceration of up to 30 days. As Vincent explains, “It’s important for us that the grapes give everything that they can to the wine and to let this process happen slowly, without too much extraction.” Maturation occurs in concrete tanks and large oak foudres, a time-honoured process that gives this grower’s wines an alluringly traditional and timeless feel. Even in today’s unpredictable, boom-or-bust climate, this grower’s wines retain uncommon poise and drinkability, and with it, the potential for Grenache to be viewed as the Pinot Noir of the Mediterranean. Marcoux is one of the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in the appellation. Vincent believes his old vines’ inner health and deep root systems have never been more important. “Our point is to have the healthiest vineyards,” he explains, “so precise viticulture is our greatest weapon and stongest defence.” Even so, Estevenin intends to increase his vineyard’s biodiversity by planting trees on the property and working the soil less to encourage grass and plants growth between the rows. There’s even a new planting of Counoise, an old southern variety that ripens at lower sugar levels. If you don’t have the opportunity to taste the wines while Vincent is in town, we hope the notes and reviews give you a good idea of what to expect from each wine and each vintage. From his mother, Vincent has inherited a love for purity, clarity, perfume, seduction and balance; this is a manifesto that can be tasted across the Domaine’s current releases.