Jean-Louis Denois Mes Vignes de Saint Paul Rouge 2012 Sans Sulfite Languedoc-Roussillon, France

About the winemaker

Vignobles Denois is located in Roquetaillade, in the Languedoc region in France. In 1979, when he was 22, Jean-Louis Denois – at least the sixth generation of a Champagne family – decided to follow his own path. After studying winemaking in Beaune and business in Reims he helped make the first ‘Cap Classique’ sparkling wines in South Africa. His journey eventually led him to the Aude Valley, in the Pyrenees foothills, on the Languedoc’s southwestern fringes. This cool climate zone is what Jean-Louis was looking for in the Languedoc when he bought his first Pinot Noir vines in Roquetaillade in 1988, followed by 15 hectares of Chardonnay in 1989. His Domaine de l’Aigle was a Burgundy style vineyard producing wines with a racy edge rarely seen in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Jean-Louis eventually sold the brand and certain parcels of the estate, only keeping the old little Sainte Marie vineyard, some Chenin Blanc in La Rivière and small plots of old Merlot which became the base for the Vignobles Denois. Jean-Louis works biodynamically.