France

One of the most exciting and rewarding things about France is that it never stands still. There are always new producers to discover, a classic region finding new life or some hitherto vinous backwater just waiting to be stumbled upon. As French farming and viticulture responds to climate change, wines from all over are changing, and traditions thought for decades and centuries to be immovable are shifting… there is as much ‘new’ going on here as in the New World, and the Roussillon is right on the frontier. 

As well as my own, Cathartic, wines, I’ve approached producers that I’ve worked with in the past. Young winemakers moving on to do their own thing, usually with old vines and a sense of adventure. All of these producers are willing to go the extra mile - put in the extra work in the vines and the winery - to get the most from their terroir. - Richard

Cathar(tic) Wines (Côtes Catalans, Côtes du Roussillon)

I started making wine in the Roussillon in 2008, helping my pal Andy at both Coume del Mas and Mas Cristine. In 2016, I vinified three parcels separately, as much for proof of concept as anything else. It was my own take on the Roussillon’s under-appreciated terroir. Making a little more year after year, in 2019, I decided to throw my hat in for a lot more. As each year has presented new challenges, I’ve become less concerned with doing the same thing harvest after harvest, and more interested in capturing the best that the vintage has to offer. My approach is hands off, and the vines are currently under organic conversion. - Richard

Divay (Collioure)

Léah Anglès started working with Coume del Mas and Mas Cristine in 2014, her first stage before doing her oenology degree at Montpellier. She’s the first person in her family to go into wine. With a BSc in chemistry, she thought pursuing oenology and winemaking would be more fun than wearing a labcoat all the time. Her love of great food and curiosity about wine comes through in her single cuvee, Divay. 100% Grenache, vinified whole bunch with the minimum of sulfur, or really any intervention at all, it is an electric take on the remarkable terroir Collioure has to offer. Sadly, she doesn’t make much, and I have to beg for a personal allocation alongside our official allocation. - Richard

Mas Lou (Faugères)

I worked several harvests with Olivier and Adèle before they set out on their own in Faugères. In all my time there, I can honestly say Olivier was the hardest working winemaker I had the privilege of working with. As well as Coume del Mas and Mas Cristine, they worked harvests in Spain, Chile, and Bordeaux before starting Mas Lou in 2014. Olivier’s first love is the vines, and would far prefer to be among them than the winery. Their 8ha sits between 200 and 400m above sea level, giving a cooling freshness to the wines that others in the region struggle to achieve. We are lucky to get any of these - the quantities are tiny, and the French wine press have started to take notice of just how delicious the wines are. - Richard