Domaine Sainte Marie des Crozes Hector & Juliette 2022, Corbières, Biodynamic

Hector & Juliette is the cuvée that Christelle Alias named after her grandparents, who founded Domaine Sainte Marie des Crozes, and its label carries their wedding photograph. It is a certified organic and biodynamic Corbières, made mainly from Syrah with a little Grenache, grown on clay and limestone soils at the foot of the Montagne d’Alaric.

In the glass it is a deep cherry red with purple reflections. The nose is intense and complex, with dark jammy fruit, cocoa and roasted, peppery notes. The palate is powerful and warm, with plenty of body, ripe black fruit and fine-grained tannins that give it a firm, structured finish.

Serve at around 16–18°C, ideally opened an hour or so before drinking. It is made for hearty food: cassoulet, slow-cooked meats in rich sauces, lamb, game and mature cheeses. It is lovely now and will keep developing for several years in the cellar.

Domaine Sainte Marie des Crozes is a family estate at the foot of the Montagne d’Alaric, in the north of the Corbières. It was founded by Hector and Juliette, the grandparents of today’s winemaker, Christelle Alias, and rebuilt in 1997 by her father, Bernard. Christelle took over in 2012 and has given the domaine a clear, modern identity, with around 38 hectares of vines on clay and limestone soils. The estate is certified organic (Ecocert, AB) and biodynamic (Demeter), and the wines are made with gentle extraction to keep them juicy, fresh and full of Mediterranean character. Bright, characterful labels and cuvée names, from ‘Hector & Juliette’ to ‘La 4ème Génération’, tell the family’s story.