Nutty, Yeasty, Bruised Apple

Roussillon / Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc / Organic, Biodynamic

This cuvée was macerated on the skins for 18 months until March 2017 and, inspired by the wines of Xeres (Jerez) hence the name XRS. 150ltr was aged in one 220ltr 3yo barrel under flor until Sep 2019 when the flor broke down. Just 360 btls of 370ml were bottled in October 2019. This is a little bit mad, experimental but brilliant. If you like biologically aged wines and want something truly special!

Notes on the producer

Guido and Melanie Hube moved from Germany in 2014. Attracted by the terrific potential and quality of the terroir, they purchased 9ha of gnarled old vines on the precipitous, ancient, Precambrian schist-based hillsides scattered around Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Côte Vermeille.

Completely independent, quick to learn and working with a savage passion, they set about improving the condition of the vines, which had previously been treated conventionally, starting the process of organic conversion the following year. The grapes are meticulously sorted, destalked by hand, then crushed by bare foot and transferred into stainless steel vats for fermentation. No sulphur is used whatsoever for any wine, and bottling is carried out by gravity without any pumping. Attention to the tiniest detail continues with the use of small, dark glass bottles that have an extra coating of matt black paint applied to ensure no contamination from UV light, and high-quality natural corks tested to guarantee no TCA.