Théo Dancer Vin de France Aragón Grenache 2022

We did see this coming. Théo Dancer, like his father, is a great fan of Grenache and wanted to make a wine from this variety last year (he simply couldn’t find the right source). Now he has. The site lies in a place called Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, between Orange and Montélimar and near Cairanne. It’s a beautiful, shaded vineyard that looks out to Mt Ventoux. The soils are littered with smooth ‘galets roulés (the rounded stones that dominate so much of the southern Rhône). A key attraction was that the vineyard had been managed organically for years. The fruit was harvested in late August. It’s a really engaging whole-bunch Grenache through a Burgundian lens. Fermented as whole clusters and raised in used 456-litre barrels, the stems are perfectly integrated, bringing freshness and lift to the wine’s ripe, fleshy-yet-floral core. It’s deep yet with excellent balance and interest.