THE REMARKABLE JÉRÔME BRESSY, DOMAINE GOURT DE MAUTENS, RASTEAU 

2016 VIN DE FRANCE, IGP VIN DE PAYS

The excellence of 2016 is apparent in the lower reaches of the RHÔNE pyramid, at VIN DE FRANCE-VIN DE PAYS level. These wines consistently deliver good value and interesting drinking, since they can be sourced from top quality domaines – DOMAINE ALARY, LA BARROCHE, BISCARELLE/GRIECO, for example – or from highly motivated zero added SO2 growers with their four to six hectares in the SOUTHERN ARDÈCHE – SYLVAIN BOCK – for example.

Standing out on his own is the peerless JÉRÔME BRESSY of DOMAINE GOURT DE MAUTENS at RASTEAU, who withdrew from the appellation a while ago in the face of rules and regulations that hampered his quest to make truly interesting wines with levels of varieties that were not considered homogenous for white-coated officialdom.

JÉRÔME’s wines have much character, smouldering intensity, like their author, and live a very long time. They are organic and biodynamic, and JÉRÔME has been a fanatic about the vineyard since he was a little boy.

His 2016 IGP de VAUCLUSE RED, bottled Jan 2019, comes from some old vineyards within RASTEAU, and is composed of 50% GRENACHE, 15% MOURVÈDRE, 10% COUNOISE, 10% CARIGNAN (late 1920s), 5-10% CINSAULT, 3-5% VACCARÈSE, 1-2% SYRAH, 1% MUSCARDIN. It delivers the ripe, swarthy profile of the 2016 vintage, and will live and evolve extremely well.

JÉRÔME’s WHITE is even more extraordinary than his RED. For a start, it is built like a tank or a **** house door. He is not shy of a full ripeness in the vineyard. The 2015: 15°. The 2016: 16°. The 2017 16.5°.

It is made up of CLAIRETTE (mid-1990s), GRENACHE BLANC (1930s), PICARDAN, then MARSANNE (1995-2000), ROUSSANNE (1995-2000), GRENACHE GRIS, BOURBOULENC (1980s), PICPOUL (1980s), VIOGNIER from limestone, marl soils at RASTEAU. It is vinified in a mix of vat and casks-barrel, allowed to go very slowly, which it does given its high sugar levels (18 months’ fermentation in 2017), and raised for 18 months.

In JÉRÔME’s words, “you must set it aside for two to three years, and it’s ideal at seven years with truffle dishes; it can live for 15 years.” It’s worth buying two or three bottles for the out of the loop experience alone. But be patient!

SOME LEADING 2016 VIN DE FRANCE/IGP VIN DE PAYS REDS