Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen VdF Tinus Grenache

Château de Tourettes is French wine icon Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen's project in the Southern Rhône. After growing discontent with the vacillating nature of Burgundy in the late 90s, he and his wife Maine decided to not only redefine this estate, but also showcase the untapped potential of the Luberon region. The fruit for this Grenache-led cuvée comes from an old estate vineyard planted in 1956 on chalky soils at over 400m elevation. Benefiting from welcome rain late in the season, the vineyard’s altitude helped temper the hot, dry 2019 vintage, resulting in a wine of purity and finely judged balance, with concentrated yet vibrant fruit and, unexpectedly, fine acid tension. Now approaching seven years in bottle, it has begun to develop tertiary complexity, with sous bois and savoury notes adding further depth to its charming fruit.