Edit 01/08/24: The Domaine Jones range of wines has changed a lot since this article was written, and there have been many developments, changes of labels, etc.
See the range of Domaine Jones Wines available at Fareham Wine Cellar here.
Domaine Jones, is an exciting new winery in the Languedoc Roussillon wine-growing region of France. Domaine Jones is owned and run by Katie Jones. Katie was the Sales and Marketing Director for the Mont Tauch co-operative in the Languedoc for nearly twenty years, whose wines we also supply, until she fell in love with a small 3.5 hectare vineyard in the Maury Valley in 2007.
It wasn’t long before Katie had quit her job and, in 2008, bought the vineyard, becoming a vineyard owner and wine-maker pretty in one swift move. The vineyard, in the shadow of Queribus Castle and surrounded by wild scrub or garrigue, consists of over 8000 vines on slopes of black schist planted with Carignan, Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris and Muscat. The vines here are predominantly over 70 years old. The vine age, altitude and stony, slate soils produce naturally very low-yielding vines. The lower the yield, the higher the quality.
The Domaine Jones winery can be found in an old stone building owned by Katie’s husband. The wine-making philosophy at Domaine Jones is to employ traditional, down–to-earth farming methods and innovative winemaking techniques to capture the characteristics of the terroir and the local area. Domaine Jones wines are only produced in very small quantities – this truly is boutique wine-making. They really are hand-made wines that have a surprising purity and freshness, due to the relatively high altitude of the vineyards which is unusual for wines from this area.
In the space of a few short years (with help along the way), Katie has quickly learned wine-making and also does most of the work in the vineyard herself. Katie says of her wines: “I use traditional, down-to-earth farming methods, and want my vineyards to express themselves naturally. I’ve also employed new, innovative wine-making techniques to enhance the character of the wines.”
In addition to the Domaine Jones Vineyards in Maury, Katie also has a very small 0.5 hectare vineyard in the Fitou appellation at Tuchan, which is planted with 100-year-old Carignan and Grenache vines and some Muscat. This vineyard was unwanted by the local co-operative because it would be too uneconomical to farm. Katie only produces very small quantities of Domaine Jones Fitou.
The Domaine Jones wine labels are designed by Martin Case, a designer who does not usually work with wine labels, who has produced a rather colourful, eye-catching design. These will stand out on any wine shelf.
The wines of Domaine Jones are already causing a bit of a stir. David Schildknecht, the Languedoc Roussillon critic for Robert Parker gave the following scores for wines below on www.erobertparker.com in the summer of 2011.
Jones Rouge 2009 90 points
Jones Blanc 2010 91 points
Jones Blanc 2009 90 points
Domaine Jones Fitou 2010 (91-92)
Katie has also had very good press write-ups (twice by The Sunday Times) and has just won a Gold medal for Domaine Jones Fitou 2010 at this year’s International Wine Challenge.
These are the three core wines of Katie’s estate range: a Fitou, a red and a white wine.
Grape varieties: Carignan, Grenache, Syrah
Style: A deliciously rich and smooth Fitou. Bright berry fruits and hints of wild herbs are balanced with careful oak-ageing
Best time to drink: Up to 5 years
Food match: Meat casseroles, coq au vin and grilled steak. Jones Fitou is also excellent with cheese
Serving advice: Serve at room temperature
Fareham Wine Cellar Tasting Notes – Jones Rouge 2010 – Jones Rouge has a good, clear ruby colour. The nose is full of red fruits with jammy, damson notes. There is a hint of smokiness and some stony, almost granitic mineral notes. Notes of dried fruit and herbs / garrigue can also be detected. The palate is quite full and rich with a good viscous mouthfeel. There are more spicy red fruits, plums, herbaceous and slight liquorice notes on the palate. There are also hints of toasty oak becoming creamier as the palate goes on. The finish is pure and elegant, with good acidity and minerality and a good length.
Grape varieties: Grenache Gris
Style: Intense and richly fruited nose with notes of melon and pear, as well as herb and spice notes. The palate is textured and broad with rich melon and herbs
Best time to drink: Up to 4 years
Food match: A medley of fresh Summer dishes, juicy scallops, wild mushrooms or roast chicken. Great by itself as an aperitif
Serving advice: Chill before serving
Grape varieties: Grenache Noir (95%) and Carignan (5%)
Style: A full-bodied, grenache-based red, whose rich, soft, red fruit flavours are delightfully pure and fresh thanks to minimal use of oak, savoury, damsony acidity, silky textured tannins and a lightness of touch that makes this red moreish and drinkable.
Best time to drink: Up to 5 years
Food match: Try with a succulent steak, game pie or simply with pâté and cheese
Serving advice: Open an hour before serving at room temperature.
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