PRESENTATION OF THE DOMAINE VIRGILE JOLY What they think about us Jancisrobinson.com The Tale of the other Joly A bit of Languedoc celeb, having featured as the handsome young vigneron in Patrick Moon s beautifully written book Virgile s Vineyard, Monsieur Joly should probably be much more famous for his wines. [ ] Accolades, medals and awards have poured in : Guide Hachette, Gault Millau, Solar Organic Wine Guide, Wine report, Wine Europy and the IWC Howard Hewitt - www.redforme.blogspot.fr Every region has its up-and-coming star, even if not everyone agrees on who that might be. Virgile Joly s certainly one of those rising stars (if not already established as a leading winemaker) in the Languedoc. Harpers Wine & Spirit - Very Important Producer Run by Virgile Joly and his wife Magdalena, the company has been producing a range of quality organic wines since 2000 which have a penchant for elegance rather than fruit upfront wines. Revue Objectif Languedoc-Roussillon (n 116) Virgile Joly, Vigneron du bio «Ses vins bio sont une référence en Languedoc, Virgile Joly vinifie 15 ha sur des sols argilo-calcaires extrêmement profonds et drainants.» Magazine Terre de Vins La Cuvée Virgile Blanc 2005, n 1 du palmarès Bettane et Desseauve «La bio-diversité du Languedoc»
Domaine Virgile Joly : a passion for terroir wines Virgile Joly represents a new generation of wine-growers. For him, the vines are a way of life and he works his magic to play on the senses of amateurs of fine wine. For the last 10 years, armed only with his courage and passion, he has extracted from the soil wines which combine his attachment for the land with the subtlety of his expertise, with total respect for the environment. Having spent his childhood in the Rhone Valley, between Avignon and Vaison-la-Romaine, where his grandfather was a wine-maker, Virgile s attachment to the land is as strong as ever. After finishing his studies in oenology and management, he gained further experience in wine cooperatives and smaller individual wineries. But his strong sense of independence meant he had only one idea in his mind: to create his own winery. Hence in 2000 he set himself up in Saint-Saturnin, in the Terrasses du Larzac area, where he rented one hectare of vines. Ten years on, he has fifteen hectares of organic vines in the heart of this wild land. Welcome to the Domaine Virgile Joly... The terroir of Saint-Saturnin Les Terrasses du Larzac The Domaine Virgile Joly is situated in one of the best areas of the South of France: the Appellation d Origine Contrôlée (AOC) Coteaux du Languedoc St Saturnin, which includes the communes of Saint Saturnin, Jonquières, St Guiraud and Arboras. The grape varieties include Grenache (white and red), Syrah, Carignan and Cinsault, all of which are cultivated organically, with an average natural yield of 30 hl/ha. Combined with the richness of the Mediterranean climate, the land is worked with total respect for the environment, which allows the Domaine Virgile Joly to produce straightforward and sincere wines with a rich palette of aromas.
Working the land Special attention is paid to the ecosystems. Preference is given to manual work in order to allow the vines to express themselves as naturally as possible. Weeding is done manually without chemicals and organic fertilisers are used. Treatments are the same as those used by our ancestors (sulphur and copper sulphate). All this allows the vines to build up a natural resistance. This painstaking work provides the ideal conditions for development and optimal maturity. Harvesting the grapes Respect for the grapes, as well as respect for the vines, implies that certain principles need to be adhered to. For this reason, the grapes are picked and sorted by hand. They are then transported to the cellar in small crates where they are destalked and vinified in a traditional way. Once they have been blended, the wines are then raised in vats or French oak barrels. There are no strict rules at the Domaine Virgile Joly: attention and adaptation are the key elements for assuring continuity from one year to the next, hence the date of harvest (based on the maturity of the grapes), the relative acidity and the maturity of the tannins are all closely monitored. The result is a range of well-balanced, authentic and natural fine wines.
WINE LIST VIRGILE ROUGE AOC Languedoc Saint- Saturnin Grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah and Carignan Ageing : 18 months in tanks, 12 months in oak barrels Serving information: between 17 and 18 C, ready to drink 4 to 12 years after harvest. VIRGILE BLANC Vin de pays de l Hérault Grape varieties: 100% white Grenache Ageing and wine-making : 18 months in 500-litre oak vats. Serving information : between 11 and 14 C ready to drink 2 to 5 years after harvest. Available vintage : 2005 Available vintage : 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009 SATURNE ROUGE AOC Languedoc Saint- Saturnin Grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault Ageing : 18 months in tanks. Serving information : between 17 and 18 C, ready to drink 3 to 8 years after harvest. Available vintage : 2010/11 LE JOLY ROUGE AOC Languedoc Grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault Ageing : 12 months in tanks Serving information : between 14 and 17 C, ready to drink 1 to 3 years after harvest. Available vintage : 2012 EAU DE VIE Alcohol from grape skins of the wine «Virgile Rouge» Double distillation of MrFrecon Ageing : severalyears SATURNE BLANC AOC Languedoc Grape varieties: white Grenache and Roussanne Ageing : 9 months in tanks. Serving information : between 10 and 12 C, ready to drink 1 to 4 years after harvest. Available vintage : 2012 LE JOLY BLANC AOC Languedoc Grape varieties: Grenache blanc and Roussanne Ageing : 8 months in tanks. Serving information : between 10 and 12 C, ready to drink 1 to 4 years after harvest. Available vintage : 2013 CARTHAGENE Vin de liqueur fortifié à l eau de vie Grape varieties: Cinsault and Syrah Ageing: 9 months in tanks Serving information : between 8 and 12 C, ready to drink 2 to 20 years after harvest. Available vintage : 2013
VIRGILE ROUGE Vintage Awards 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards 2014 Silver Guide Gilbert & Gaillard 2015 Gold 87/100 Concours des Vins de la Vallée de l Hérault 2014 Gold Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17.5/20 2007 Challenge Millésime Bio 2013 Silver Concours Signature bio 2012 Gold Concours des Vins de la Vallée de l'hérault 2012 Gold Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 International Wine Challenge 2011 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17+/20 2003 2005 Signature Bio 2009 Guide Gault et Millau 2011 Guide Gilbert et Gaillard 2011 86/100 VIRGILE BLANC Guide Gilbert et Gaillard 2011 92/100 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17,5/20 N 1 du palmarès des vins bio du Languedoc: une sélection du magazine Terre de vins / Bettane&Desseauve 15,3/20 Hachette Guide 2015 SATURNE ROUGE 1 Star 2011 Challenge Millesime Bio 2015 Decanter World Wine Awards 2014 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16+/20 2010 International Wine Challenge 2013 Decanter World Wine Awards 2013 International Wine Challenge 2012
2009 International Wine Challenge 2011 Signature bio 2012 Challenge Millésime Bio 2012 Silver Silver Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 Commended SATURNE BLANC 2012 International Wine Challenge 2013 Commended 2011 International Wine Challenge 2012 Silver Decanter World Wine Awards 2012 Silver 2010 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17/20 2010 Signature Bio 2012 Silver Challenge Millésime Bio 2011 2009 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16,5/20 DecanterWine Awards 2010 Commended Guide Gilbert et Gaillard 2011 85/100 LE JOLY ROUGE 2012 International Wine Challenge 2013 Decanter World Wine Awards 2013 2011 Signature Bio 2013 International Wine Challenge 2012 Commended International Wine Challenge 2011 2010 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16,5/20 Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 Commended LE JOLY BLANC Guide Gilbert & Gaillard 2015 Gold 87/100 2013 Challenge Millesime Bio 2015 Silver Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16/20 Challenge Millésime Bio 2013 Silver 2012 Signature Bio 2013 2011 Signature Bio 2012 Silver