Thomas Jullien - Ventoux Sur Le Fil 2020
Price: $19.25
| Producer | Thomas Jullien |
| Country | France |
| Region | Rhone Valley |
| Subregion | Ventoux |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 08139 |
This has all the hallmarks of southern Rhone terroir. Ripe, earth-driven aromas that remind one of Provence, showing expressive fresh herb and rich dark berry fruit. The palate is supple and elegant with waves of flavors and lovely balance.
A perfect red to enjoy with steak frites, herb-crusted pork loin or a classic coq a vin.
Thomas Jullien Description
Thomas Jullien makes natural wines from his farmer friends' organic vineyards, which are surrounded by apricot and olive trees. His winery is full of music from September till June to raise up the soul of his wines.
Thomas Julien was raised at the bottom of Mont Ventoux in Provence and now lives in the village of Suzette, at the border of Beaume de Venise and the Ventoux AOP. He is now the third generation to make wine in the hills of Ventoux. Thomas’ grandfather, Aimé Jullien, founded the La Ferme Saint Martin estate in 1955 and that passed on to Thomas’ father, Guy, in 1979. Guy Jullien converted to organic farming in 1989 and achieved organic certification nine years later. At that time, they were pioneers of organic viticulture in Southern Rhône, but the philosophy in the vineyard would have been incomplete without a complementary standard in the cellar. For over twenty years now, the vinification has been zero-additive and non-interventionist.
Jullien joined the family estate in 2004 after completing his enology studies, and in 2017 a tremendous opportunity arose. One of the estate’s neighbors, Pierre Marin, was tired of selling his organically grown fruit to the local co-op. Marin felt the potential of his grapes was being lost and he approached Thomas Jullien as a natural winemaker who was able to express the purity and quality of the fruit he grew just one kilometer away from Jullien’s winery. The process was divided in two, with Marin in charge of the organic and biodynamic farming of the vineyards and Thomas working in the cellar transforming the grapes into a clean, living wine. While Marin’s vineyards are not certified, all of the vineyards are only treated with herbal preparations and work is guided by the moon’s phase. In the cellar, Jullien only uses indigenous yeasts and the only addition is less than 30ppm of sulfur at bottling to ensure stability. From October to April music plays endlessly in the cellar while the wine is being made with a lot of soul.
