Terroir, Tradition And Free Spirit!

I find it hard to believe that it is almost 20 years since John Gauntley first discovered the exciting ‘new talent’ of the young Julien Barrot at Domaine la Barroche.

Although it could be said that the domaine had been created in 1703, when AIexander Barrot had purchased the family’s first vineyard, the name Barroche had remained relatively unknown, as they had sold the majority of their production ‘en vrac’ . When the young Julien joined his father at the helm in the early 2000s, he took the decision to commence domaine bottling, to capture the potential of their well-placed vineyards, varied terroirs and wealth of old vines. I remember John waxing lyrical about the wonderful purity in the wines and Julien’s infectious enthusiasm and meticulous attention to detail. As many will know, the Rhone was John’s second home and he made regular visits, tasting not only the wines of our own splendid agencies, but of other iconic estates too, enabling him to gain a profound understanding and feel for the wines of his treasured appellation, of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Reading his notes on the 2005 vintage at Domaine la Barroche, John wrote –
Julien is very much a young craftsman, ready to change, and change again, until he finds what he is looking for. His style is very much one of elegance and purity – again no over extracted wines here. I adored his wines from the very first time I tasted them last year and cannot give him too much praise. A legend in the making here, I am sure.

How right he was. Today Barroche is regarded as one of the leading estates in the appellation.

We are delighted to offer the Beguiling Barroche, introductory mixed case containing two bottles each of –
2022 Chateauneuf du Pape, ‘Julien Barrot’
2022 Vin de France, Liberty
2016 Vin de France, Liberty

See Tasting Notes below.

Although Julien has indeed made subtle changes, the wines are crafted with minimum intervention and retain the hallmark purity, unctuous fruit and intense perfume that have always been so beguiling. One significant change, is that when the vintage allows, Julien is now using an increasing amount of whole bunch fermentation, rather than routinely destemming all the fruit. This helps moderate the alcohol and enhance the wine’s freshness and finesse.

When we first visited, Julien was producing the wines in the old cellars under the family house, which although conveniently placed to be on hand 24/7 and with their own historic charm, they certainly didn’t make for an easy or practical, working environment. Indeed, I have ‘fond’ memories of venturing up and down, vertical ladders, to reach ‘hidden’ parts of the cellar, to taste the different cuvees.

In 2015, a new cellar was created on the other side of the village. Built into the hillside, this impressive cellar, is not only easier for Julien or his visitors to access, but most importantly from the grapes’ reception at the winery, to the barrel cellar below, the fruit and juice are transported entirely by gravity, ensuring that the quality of the fruit is preserved. Equipped with the latest technology, Julien now chooses to ferment the wines in tulip shaped concrete tanks, with the elevage in a combination of foudre, demi-muids, barrels and concrete tanks.

2015 also saw the release of the first vintage of Liberty. A unique collaboration with a great friend and fellow bon viveur, Yannick Alliaud this gem is produced from vineyards in Chateauneuf de Gadagne, in the southernmost part of the Rhone. Situated at an altitude of 150 metres, grown on terraces, the terroir here is similar to the great plateau of La Crau, a combination of sand, blue and grey clay and covered with the large river stones associated with the image of Chateauneuf du Pape. The vines here are well over 60 years of age and are most trained in the ‘traditional’, but increasingly rare ‘goblet’. Part de-stemmed, the wine stays on the lies for 4 weeks and is aged in old oak casks and 600 litre barrels for approximately 18 months, before bottling without filtration.

The Beguiling Barroche, introductory mixed case contains two bottles each of the following wines –
2022 Vin de France, Liberty
Bright, dark cherry in the glass, paling to the rim. Glorious perfume offering pure, ripe fruits with notes of summer pudding and hints of lavender, thyme and rosemary. Wonderful purity of juicy, sweet, ripe fruit on the palate, balanced by a lovely vibrant lift of acidity. Irresistible now, but will undoubtedly continue to develop over the next few years. A real gem!

2022 Chateauneuf du Pape, Julien Barrot
The Julien Barrot offers a similar dark cherry colour in the glass, with an equally glorious bouquet. Indeed, the initial profile of the nose here is very similar to the Liberty , but with more concentration and sense of structure. More intensity on the palate with layers of fabulous ripe berry fruits, entwined with hints of spice and dark chocolate. Beautifully balanced. Approachable now, but enormous potential for great longevity.

2016 Vin de France, Liberty
This was the second vintage released, scoring an impressive 91 points in the Advocate. Wow! Today this wine is right on point. Deep ruby in the glass, with a garnet rim, offering wonderful complexity on the nose, with aromas of dried cherries, plums and blackberries with mild hints of sweet and wooded spice, accompanied by more concentrated roasted and savoury notes of ground coffee, leather and game. On the palate, there is still an almost luscious, ripe sweetness to the fruit which is both fresh and dried in nature (blackberry, black cherry, prune and raisin) with hints of vanilla and ground coffee, complimented by savoury meaty undertones of aged charcuterie. The acidity remains fresh, bright and perfectly balanced, whilst the velvety, mature, rounded tannins still provide satisfying grip all the way to a long, deep and elegant finish. Very impressive!